


Don't Hold Your Breath (we're gonna live)

by AeryanneRF



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, BAMF!Tsuna, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Mild Gore, Mild Language, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Canon, Protective!Guardians, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2018-11-21 23:37:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 48,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11367987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AeryanneRF/pseuds/AeryanneRF
Summary: "Am I still a Sky, when I can't protect my Elements?" A Tsuna-Gathers-His-Famiglia story, Zombie Apocalypse style. No one is surprised, except Tsuna of course.(or the one where the dead rise, a seal is broken, and Flames light the world)





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Deadbeat](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10945563) by [wolfsrainrules](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfsrainrules/pseuds/wolfsrainrules). 



> Additional warnings below. This fic would be updated monthly. Hopefully.  
> Edit 12/10/17: Updates have been changed to several times a month because each chapter is getting longer and longer. Check in on the last day of the month for the full chapter. But no guarantees on cliffhangers :P
> 
> Beta'd by the awesome [injurious](https://archiveofourown.org/users/injurious/pseuds/injurious).

**(Words in bold are from the original prompt by** wolfsrainrules **)**

**The irony of the situation wouldn't dawn on Tsunayoshi for a while.**

**He was 'Dame'. No good. The least liked person of the school. The person the downtrodden beat on and made fun of to feel better about themselves because they were bad off, but at least they weren't 'Dame-Tsuna.'**

**The 'rock bottom' for the rest of the school to compare to.**

**Any yet…**

**When the time comes, it is Tsuna who stands at the front, Tsuna who takes a stand and commands 'no more'. It is 'rock bottom' that refuses to bend, refuses to yield and becomes the wall that stands between the people and the others.**

**Tsuna isn't sure how it happened, what caused the outbreak, or why there was next to no warning. All he knows is that when it happens, Kyoko had been behind him and everyone else was screaming and crying and panicking.**

**No one had been doing anything.**

**Something inside him had snapped when the infected, the undead: whatever the hell was left of what used to be people tried to eat them.**

  **Tsuna had been between the undead and the only person in the entire town who had never called him no good (because as much as he loved and adored his mother, she had called him no good before) the only person besides his mother who had always had a kind smile and a word for him.**

**No one else had been doing anything to help- so Tsuna had.**

  **He wouldn't find out for years about the seal that had been on him since he was five. He wouldn't find out for years that his Will that his Resolve in that moment had been strong enough to shatter it like it had never been there as his determination to live and go home to his mother, his determination to make sure Kyoko lived, his will to defy death was stronger than the resolve of the Sky that had sealed him.**

**His Flames had surged under that seal and burned through it from the inside until they were free.**

  **It would be a long while before Tsuna would find out that he had learned to 'run before he walked' as it were that day, his Flames plunging him straight into what he would later learn to identify as Hyper Dying Will Mode.**

**All Tsuna had been aware of at the moment was that the undead were walking, everyone around him was being torn apart and eaten, the streets were lined in blood from those who hadn't been quick enough and Kyoko was behind him. All he had known in that moment was the Will to live and take Kyoko with him.**

  **And so he had.**

**Flames had come into being and Tsuna had torn through everything in his way with his bare hands and the fire that coated them.**

  **He'd taken Kyoko to his home and found his mother in the kitchen, her apron coated in red and a frying pan gripped in one hand. It had been a relief to see her there and she had rushed to greet him, babbling about the men that had come into the house who had already been dead, but trying to hurt her. She babbled about panicking and hitting them with the pan only for them to get back up until she managed to hit one in the head. She told her son how she had dragged them out of the house.**

  **Tsuna had been calm as he rubbed her back, whispering soothingly into her ear before he had asked her to watch Kyoko for him. His mother had latched onto the normalcy.**

  **Tsuna had gone upstairs and following his instincts had gathered what he thought he might need into bags. One for him, one for his mother and one for Kyoko. When he came back downstairs the two women had been in the kitchen while his mother tried to coax Kyoko into eating some rice balls from the fridge.**

**Tsuna had been the one to lead them to the school, the one that carved a path through the undead from their home to the school picking up an odd couple of things as his instincts demanded of him.**

**When he arrived at the school there were a few bodies lining the halls, alongside broken classrooms and blood splatters, but Tsuna has a destination in mind. He knows where he needs to go even if he isn't sure why. (Once again- he will later learn to call this the 'Vongola Intuition')**

  **He climbs the stairways, using the bits and pieces he had picked up on his way there (mostly poles and things of that nature) to latch the doors shut behind himself. He plans absently to come back and do a better job of it, but for now, it will slow any undead down which is what he needs.**

**He eventually makes it to the third story of the school- the top floor not including the roof- and he finds what his instincts had been guiding him to: Hibari and a diminished Disciplinary Committee guarding the terrified remains of the student and teacher body.**

  **"Here" his instincts- his intuition- purrs. "Here is where we can rest. The girls will be safe- we will be safe."**

**The warm feeling that had fueled him pulls back, the Flames on his firsts that no one had mentioned (Tsuna will later find out that only those who can use the Flames or are aware of their own Flames and can feel them even if they can't use them are capable of actually seeing the Flames themselves) disappearing and he sways sharply.**

Just as the calm that had enveloped him from the start of this mess started to fade away, a sudden ringing pierced through the content daze.

_Dodge!_

Snapping back into full alertness, Tsuna tilted his body backwards, tonfa barely grazing his bangs. For a moment he wanted to look back at his mother and Kyoko to check on them, but the high-strung feeling of determination ( _of_ _desperation_ ) to do so did not appear, and the whisper in his head reassured him. _Safe, safe, safe. Mama and Kyoko are safe now_ , there is no need to kill, there is no screaming in his head of fatal consequences, of _failing_ _means dying means Mama and Kyoko will_ ** _die_** **.**

His instincts were telling him to _move_ , but there was no underlying tinge of deadliness, as when he had faced the dead that walk outside. Not lethal. _Fight, but there is no need to kill._ Tsuna can do that. He can dodge the blows, and fight back to subdue, and _only_ subdue his opponent.

Tsuna took barely a second to adjust, slipping into the fast-paced yet calm and sure movements of kicks and punches. He dodged a blow to the side of his head and pushed away with a kick that was blocked by another tonfa, almost twirling away from the dark figure.

He glimpsed steel gray eyes narrowing, and moved before his opponent could launch another attack. Charging in and ducking under yet another lightning-fast swipe, Tsuna absently thought that it was nice, to listen to what that voice in his mind was telling him to do, without thinking of anything else. In his subconscious Tsuna is aware that something was _off_ , and he _shouldn't be able to fight like this, it's not normal,_ but Tsuna ignored that part of his brain. It was the same part that wanted to scream and cower into a ball when he was facing down those non-living, those _undead_ , the part that wanted to run away, the part of him that always said _give up it's no use I am bad at this, dame, and will always be at 'rock bottom'._

Tsuna very much didn't feel like listening to that part of his brain right now.

The slight distraction in his head cost Tsuna several glancing blows he barely blocked, and _there, that muscle twitch, blow to the left, grab and pull_ \- but he was too slow, or fatigue had finally caught up to him (when had the flames on his hands gone out?), and the blow struck true. Tsuna felt the blow reverberating through his entire frame, something had cracked, at the very least. He realized he was getting sluggish, and his eyesight had darkened and blurred at the edges. The calm was slowly slipping away, and dimly he thought that his surroundings were too quiet.

 _Tired, rest,_ the voice told him, but he wasn't going down without at least-

jumping over the sweep of legs, he rolled behind his opponent, turning his body slightly to the side to avoid the brunt of another head strike, he ducked in low, and sprung himself forward with an elbow cocked.

_Crack!_

Then there was darkness.

~*~~*~

**When he comes to, there's a silver-white haired boy leaning over him with his fists clenched. He recognizes Kyoko's older brother. "Thank you for saving Kyoko and bringing her to me!" the boy screams in Tsuna's face and even though his head hurts and his body feels like it may have been beaten into putty by Hibari, Tsuna smiles at the boy and tells him 'you're welcome.'**

Looking out the windows, Tsuna realized that it must have been hours and hours, as the sun was already more than halfway across the sky. He was lying on several pushed together tables, a rolled up piece of soft clothing underneath his head acting as a makeshift pillow. The clock hanging in front of the classroom proved that it was already the time school usually ends.

He sat up, or very much tried to. One move, and every single muscle seemed to scream in protest, his whole body seemingly set on fire. Biting his tongue on instinct, Tsuna held back an agonized groan. The excruciating pain subsided after a few moments, retreating from his limbs, the searing burn receding from the tips of his fingers and toes, flowing through his veins into his core, pulsing softly as a small heartbeat. Warmth, for a second, then it was gone the next.

"Sawada! Are you EXTREMELY alright?" Ryohei hovered at his elbow, yelling right into his ear.

Despite the headache-aggravating volume, Tsuna could see the true worry for his well-being in the older boy's eyes. "Ha-Hai, I'm okay, Sasagawa-senpai."

Pushing himself up, Tsuna cradled his sore ribs, resisting the urge to rub his poor ear. The few seconds of extreme pain since he had tried to sit up seemed to be a trick of his mind. Now, twinges of pain and discomfort covered nearly _everywhere_ on his limbs and torso, and Tsuna made the conscious decision to not look under his shirt for a while to avoid seeing the colorful palette he had become.

The windows were all closed tight, curtains pushed aside to let in sunlight. With the classroom lit with bright rays of the afternoon sun, it felt like he had suddenly awoken from a dream made of unsettling, hazy images that made no sense whatsoever, a dream that made him feel damp with cold sweat; into the golden glow of a long-ago memory that felt mundane but warm. It was like thinking that you are drowning in endless cold waters, choking and gasping for breath, but the next instant you find yourself waking up lazily from a nap on your desk while the teacher drones on at the front of the classroom about mathematics.

Disregarding the aching bruises, Tsuna could almost believe himself if he imagined for a moment that it was a normal day and nothing was wrong. Except for his monster of a headache. _Ow._

Well, that, and the uncomfortable feeling of stillness in the air. The kind of stillness that made you stop, and think; that made you want to be cautious; that signaled the single split second before a predator pounces on it prey, or right before lightning strike and deafening thunder on an otherwise sunny sky. It was plain _wrong_ and dangerous. And it was persistent, faint but present throughout his surroundings. It was like a whisper at the back of your mind that you can't get rid of. _Careful be careful careful._ Thinking about it made his head hurt even more, too.

But...those people _(no, not_ people _anymore)_. Their _faces_. Their _bodies_. What they wanted to _do_ to him. To _Kyoko and Mama_. He remembers. Every moment of it, every scene; all of them played crystal clear in his mind’s eye; if he wanted to, he could picture the sight _\- milky unfocused eyes, lolling heads, pale discolored hands, gnarled fingers, reaching ripping tearing, lips pulled back, gums shrunken and teeth bared; the expression of pure, despairing desire to feed -,_ the sound - animalistic groans of hunger, for flesh, for blood; of the chomping, masticating, wet slurpy sounds he heard coming from around corners he avoided -, and the smell _\- rank, slightly salty, subtly hidden in the eye-watering putrid smell of feces; not yet of death, but still he studiously avoided breathing through his mouth._

Tsuna looked down at his hands. The pounding in his head eased a little when he stopped thinking about- before. What these hands did, what _he_ did...

 _Those people aren't people anymore,_ he remembered thinking. _There is no need to hold back. You are not hurting anyone._

He shuddered, immediately pushing that thought down. He didn't- it was, it was- he-no. _No no_ no _, stop thinking. Headache, remember?_ The sharp twinge in his temples reminded Tsuna too late to stop thinking. _Ouch. Stupid me._

"Wh-where is Kyoko-chan? And my mother? Are they alright?" Looking around, there was only Kyoko's brother, and a group of other students at the front of the room. They were all standing around something, some of them wearing the signature black gakuran and sporting the pompadour hairstyle.

"Sawada-san and Kyoko is in the next classroom!" Ryohei pumped a fist in the air. "The Hibari and his EXTREME club members are taking back EXTREME control of the school!"

Hibari...Oh, _that_ guy. The chairman of the Disciplinary Committee, Hibari Kyoya. The one who upholds and enforces the rules with swift judgement and his _(in)_ famously bloodthirsty tendencies in his iron-fist rule over Namimori Middle. The Namimori Middle that is in the middle of an apparent _invasion_. Tsuna winced.

From what he had seen and heard of the infamous Head Prefect; pitted against animated, cannibalistic corpses that feel no pain, and are dead set to gnaw a hole out of you… The reanimated dead should be the ones to run and hide.

Rubbing the side of his head, Tsuna willed the throbbing fuzz in his head to go away. _Careful slowly be careful._ Belatedly, Tsuna recognized the fact that he was just a little too calm, and he should be freaking out and terrified, but he just... isn't.

There is a feeling of- of fullness, in him, a feeling that is simultaneously old and new, expanding fast and slow in his chest, like seeing an old friend you haven't met in years and noting all the differences, but knowing that they are the same people underneath. It felt like coming home, a sense of belonging. Tsuna hadn't felt so...so comfortable in his own skin since...forever, probably. He can't remember.

Can't really think, actually. It felt like someone is trying to stab his brain with a screwdriver.

"I am glad you're awake, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

Tsuna started out of his inconsequential musings. The speaker was a boy standing behind Ryohei who had split from the group of Disciplinary Members, though compared to all the other members his pompadour was ridiculously large. He was holding a notebook in his hand, and despite any misgivings Tsuna had towards some people with distinctly delinquent-like looks, the older boy gave off an air of calm professionalism.

"Er...excuse me, but y-you are..?" he was a little nervous and disoriented, but mostly it was the unrelenting pounding at his temples that was shattering his concentration.

Plus, something kept niggling at him. _Careful slowly careful be careful_.

"Kusakabe Tetsuya, Vice President of the Namimori Disciplinary Committee." He paused slightly before continuing, "Kaicho wants to speak with you, as soon as possible."

Kaicho? As in the Head of the Disciplinary Committee? _The_ Hibari Kyoya, Demon of Namimori?! That definitely pierced through the mounting pain in his head, and the feeling of squirming unease subsided a little to make way for the sudden shock.

"Hieeeee?!! Wha-why does he want to speak with me?"

The screwdriver was replaced with a knife, and the stabbing pain worsened. Tsuna honestly felt a little faint.

His panic must've been written clear as day on his face, as Kusakabe calmly reassured him that "All would be explained later, if you would follow me?" He made an inviting gesture with a hand and waited for him to get off the tables.

 _Why me?_ he wanted to wail. Thinking back, there was the time after he reached school and this floor that was a little fuzzy. How did he climb onto these tables again? Did he forget something? Something important...

"Kaicho just wants to talk to you, Sawada-san. Don't worry, he won't suddenly fight you again."

Fight....with Hibari Kyoya? _Me?!_

The stabbing knife was entirely forgone for a sledgehammer over the head as, unbidden, an image of the tonfa-wielding prefect spitting out a glob of blood invaded his mind.

"You were EXTREME, Sawada! You EXTREMELY broke Hibari's jaw!" Ryohei helpfully provided with a cheer.

"Hieeeeeeeee!"

He knew he forgot something important.

~*~~*~

**Tsuna isn't aware of the impression he made on the group of students in the school on his way to them. Most of the students had been watching out the windows as the boy they had called 'no good' carved his way through the undead with his bare hands.**

**The hallways of the school itself had been mostly empty with a few stragglers thanks to Hibari, but outside the school? That had been a whole other story. Hundreds if not thousands of bodies had stood in his way, all of them drawn to the living bodies like flies to honey, and Tsuna had flitted between the chaos of the undead like he was born to fight them, keeping the two noncombatants with him alive and safe as the undead fell to his hands.**

**The boy they had thought to be a loser, a push over, someone who would always be the 'rock bottom' a boy they classified as no good had just carved his way into the school with a path of chaos and blood and made it** **_look easy_ ** **.**

**O~O~O~O~O~O~**

**Hibari had seen the Herbivore fight his way to the herd he and his Committee had been shielding. He had watched as one of the weakest Herbivores he had ever seen had fought like a Carnivore. There had been no hesitation, every strike he had made had been lethal to the undead, and despite the numbers between him and them as well as the women he was protecting, he had refused to waver.**

**It was faint, but Hibari couldn't help the small whisper that escaped him.**

**"Wao"**

**O~O~O~O~O~O~**

**Tsuna wasn't a leader as far as he was concerned. He was just someone who could do something and so had when everyone else was too scared or horrified to do it themselves. As far as he was concerned he never had been. Had never been someone anyone had thought was worth following.**

**The undead outbreak had changed that. Everyone else had been too terrified to take the mantle, and his remaining classmates- gathered and kept safe by Hibari and his Committee- had witnessed the barehanded crusade into the school when he arrived. It meant they looked his way in their terror because they had seen that Tsuna could fight the undead and win. (And he wasn't as terrifying as Hibari)**

**Tsuna had never considered himself to be a leader, and would tell anyone that thought to ask that he wasn't one. He was just a protector. A boy who had the ability to do something and so had.**

**If anyone asked the classmates that had dismissed Tsuna so easily, who had held their foothold in the school for the last six months by his side...who had fought, slept, plotted and planned at his side, who had been sure that 'this was it' this was the moment they were going to be eaten, they were going to die only to open their eyes and see Tsuna's back between them and the undead…**

**If anyone asked the children Tsuna had gone out personally to collect and bring back to the school…the children who had been so hungry, so cold, and so, so scared with no one to turn to or no idea what do before warm brown eyes had found them and extended a warm callused hand out to them and offered safety…**

**If anyone asked the adults that Tsuna had gone after beside classmates, the parents of those who had been caught in their homes or in the grocery stores, those that had been caught at work and prayed with everything that they were that their child was still alive…the parents who would later look into the orange-tinted brown eyes of the boy who had protected their children, and then followed them out of their safe-zone to find them and bring them back for their children…**

**If anyone were to ask them who they considered to be the 'leader' of those who called the school their safe-zone…each of them would answer "Tsuna" with a warm grin and sure eyes.**


	2. I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsuna wakes up.

**(Est. Time 12.28pm)**

 "I can't believe this..."

 It was pure carnage below. As they leaped from roof to roof, Spine twisted her lips as she spied innocents being slaughtered and _eaten._ Her body made aborted movements to reach the victims, but intellectually she knew it was already too late. Just like all the others they've encountered.

 Plus the mission objective _always_ comes first.

" _Whoooah_ , here it's like, they're _swarming_ , it's icky as hell, " came from behind her, and Spine spared a glance mid-jump at her teammate. Well, putting the guy down as 'teammate' is really pushing it, but when in a pinch she's not one to be picky. As... _peculiar_ as Cali's entire self seems to be, he was right.

 "It is likely because of the closer distance to Namimori General Hospital," Andy theorized.

 Where they were based before was near the edge of the busier streets of Namimori's industrial buildings, but that early in the morning people were more concentrated in the residential areas, where the homes, markets, and schools are. Even the shopping district they passed by lacked activity, but the morning market was... harder to look at. Spine tried not to think about it too much.

 Nearing their destination, she called back to the two men behind her, "We get down here."

 The Mist Flames that had been somewhat concealing their presence from the undead on the streets dissipated as they jumped and landed on the grass. Spine rolled into a stand easily, and Andy did his roll mid-air.

 Cali simply landed with a crouch and a loud _thump_ on the grass in the backyard. Next time he breaks his ankles Spine swear she _would not_ be the one dragging him back to base. Though, they do really need to find a new base now that the old one's probably been overrun.

"At least the house looks intact, " Andy observed. If he had been wearing his scope glasses, now would be an ideal time to push up its metal rim.

 Cali did a circling sweep of the backyard, hands gripping -of all things- a flat-tipped digging shovel. Swinging it like a bat, he cackled, "Small, cutesy little house. I'll smash ya like a _Hieeeyah!! Hah! Hahaha!_ Take _that_!"

 All the windows are darkened, and Spine couldn't see if there was anyone inside. If they're going in, they'd better use the front door, at least. The front door will be so much easier to block off than this sliding one.

 " _Shh_. Team, circle around." Ignoring Cali's antics, Spine and Andy approached the front of the house casually, but with senses alert and tuned up to eleven. No use being discreet with all the screaming and air-whacking going on behind them, but they will be prepared.

 A step further, and _something_ lurched around the corner, quickly followed by more. The one in front was missing half an arm and most of its chest cavity, and with every awkward shuffle more squelchy inside bits dropped to the ground becoming outside bits.

 "Urgh, there's more here! Andy?" Spine cursed her inability to manifest her Flames outside of her body. She could only affect what she was touching, and only specific attack points as her pool of Flames was pitifully small. Effective and subtle, her abilities are great for subterfuge and assassination; not so good for all out combat.

 Raising his hands, the man concentrated as the looped chain-links around his fists glowed a bright green, and he threw them into the air in front of the advancing corpses. "Setting up shields."

 The chains crisscross in a particular web-shaped pattern in the air and stayed suspended, sparking green Lightning flames flowing down the thin, fragile chains, turning them near unbreakable; an electrified web expanding around the three agents.

 "I'm gonna have at 'em. Lemme have at 'em, lady boss." Cali brandished his shovel like a master swordsman with his sword. He's more of a shooter and trapper (though what he traps usually end up more perforated than his shot-kills ), the two Magnums tucked into his waistband and other assorted explosive weaponry hidden haphazardly all over his person more than enough proof. Andy being particularly angsty when in close quarters with Cali could in no small part be attributed to not knowing when the guy will accidentally blow up by flopping down wrong on the two-seater.

 "No guns, Cali," Spine reminded, just in case. Gunshots are notoriously loud, and funnily enough, most of the undead despite lacking limbs still have their ears.

 "No problemo, _mia signora_ . Let's see how fugly you look on the _inside_ , fucktards!"

 Still cackling, the man rushed in, and in contrast to his... _off-wack_ personality, he moves like rushing currents, smooth, swift, and fast. Ironic, considering his Primary and Secondary Flames. There was a twist, a building of momentum, and the shovel was swung in a perfect arc, a spinning kick following closely behind. A second later the first undead had half its head sheared off, and was downed in half a revolution by a heavy booted foot. Speed lending power into lethal blows, the others dropped like flies.

 They advanced at a brisk pace, clearing their way towards the front door.

"Drawn to us like flies to shit~ Now you're all squished into itty-bitty bits- you guys hear that? I _rhymed_!" Cali singsonged.

Spine swore Andy just popped another vein.

"Language, you imbecile."

"No, _you_ language, _idiota_."

"What are you, five?"

"No, _you're_ five." Cali emphasized the point by sticking out his tongue while thrusting the shovel to the side, slicing the head of another undead horizontally in half.

Spine knew she wasn't supposed to, but she was curious, "Where did you steal that shovel from anyway?"

"Eeh, some houses down. It was just laying 'round on the roof doin' nothing. Bet she's so thankful of being used by me _,_ aren't you, _babe_?"

Andy gritted his teeth in annoyance, "No one leaves digging shovels on the roof, imbecile."

"Well this one did. She's so handy, I think I just might _keep_ her! But then Mister Sin and Missus Des would be _sooo_ jealous."

They reached the front door. _Finally_. "Seriously, pipe down, boys. And I'm the one who's giving out orders here."

"Yes, but only _temporarily,_ " Andy felt the need to correct.

 Cali objected to that statement halfway through flipping over a legless undead crawling on the ground and decapitating it in the same move. "Hey fuckin' ass-stick, remind me what shit _you_ got us into the last time you had the wheel? Fuck if I'm ever gonna let you near modeling clay again. Fucking _wet_ modeling clay. How did you even get it stuck so far up our-"

 "Boys, you done yet? And Cali, I distinctly remember it being _your_ fault with the booby traps you made without telling _anyone_."

 "Almost," releasing the Flames he had been building up till now, Andy's web of chains elongated and expanded, surrounding the three against the house in a semi-circle, pushing more undead away and frying them in the process. "Two minutes," he grunted through the exertion.

"Hey, I told Mister Sin! The hell I know it'll fuckin' blow off when this _idiota_ jumped on it? He's not even supposed to-"

 " _Shush_. Cali, telling your firearms doesn't count. Look there." There were thick lines of brownish-red underneath the door, either leading to or coming from the outside of the fence. They looked distinct as only dragging a bleeding body can. "The blood trails here... Cali, check it out."

 Shovel slung over a shoulder, Cali scratched behind an ear. "Why me? Ask Andy to."

 Spine almost gave a long-suffering sigh. _Almost_ , only because she knew better now. "Cali, _go_. Mission."

 "Oh, alright~” Andy drew out the last syllable, “ Just for you, _mia bella signora_ " Cali went, whistling all the while.

 As focused as he was on maintaining the shield of lightning through the dwindling numbers of moving corpses on the other side, Andy still grits out, "I _despair_ having you as a teammate, I really do," before creating an opening in the web just wide enough for Cali to slip through.

 "I know, _idiota_ , and I loooove you too," came the sing-song reply.

 Spine raised a brow, inspecting the lock on the door. "Should I be worried about your opinion of me as a teammate too, Andy?"

 "Not you, Spine. You are still halfway decent."

 "Gee, thanks."

 It was just a simple household locking mechanism. She didn't have time to look for the spare key that is probably somewhere on the porch, so...

 "Just going to take a little...there." A flash of red, and the tiny mechanisms inside crumples and crumbles away easily, the door opening with a soft push.

 Spine looked around the interior of the house from the entryway. "Hmm, all clean, except for the blood." The trails lead into what appears to be the kitchen, and with trepidation thudding in her heart she followed them to come across... nothing. Did one of their mission objectives get attacked by the corpses, then dragged outside? No, that would make the scene so much messier. The other way round, then? Is that possible?

 Andy sighed in relief at letting down the electric shield, the chain links retracting and looping back around his gloved fists. "You could have picked the lock. Now we can't lock the door again."

 Spine chose to ignore him with alacrity. "Other than the blood trails, seems untouched, but... Andy, check the house for emergency supplies."

 "Understood," with a concise nod, Andy took the stairs with long strides before Cali slunk in through the door.

 "Hey Spine, outside's clear. Two of 'em motherfuckers rotting like _sloshy_ shit on toilet paper left out in the sun."

 "How would you even- never mind, pretend I didn't ask. Look through this floor for any disturbance."

 " _Aye-ay_ , capt'n!"

 Spine approached the front door, spinning a finger round and round, concentrating. Sound, smell, and sense. _We are not here. There is nothing here. Look away. Look away._ Door safeguarded against unwanted intruders for now, Spine rocked back on her heels. _That wasn't so difficult, was it?_

 There was the soft thumping of soles against wood, and Andy stood behind her. She sent him a questioning look to confirm her suspicions.

 Just as expected, Andy answered, "Emergency supplies, first aid kit, all gone."

 Cali scurried out of the living room, chewing on _something_ he filched from the kitchen table. "Same here~"

 "So they must have ran on their own will."

 Cali scoffed, "No _way_ , all the files said the kid is just a snotty-nosed brat, and we _all_ know it was the woman's cannons and not brains that hooked the boss."

 Spine winced internally, sparing a glance at Andy. Ah, there was that tick again. "Watch your mouth, Cali. That's the boss's family you are talking about."

 Throwing whatever it is into his mouth, Cali licked his fingers clean,"What, you gonna report me, _idiota_?"

 Spine cut in to break up the brewing fight. She didn't want to write up yet _another_ report on unnecessary collateral damage. "Appearances can be deceiving. Even personalities can be misleading. You yourself are a prime example, Cali. Don't be a hypocrite. And did you even wash your hands?"

 Spine did not _hate_ to admit it, per se -unlike a certain redhead on their team- but Cali _is_ the best fighter in their squadron, and the only thing that prevented him from becoming Squad Master was his over the top eccentricity, even by average Mafia standards.

 Cali clapped both hands to his face in a dramatic exclamation, " _Gasp!_ Oh my _Spine_ , did you just gave me a back-assed compliment? I am _soooo touched-_ " Spine groaned inwardly. _Uh oh._

 "Now you have done it, Spine. We'll _never_ hear the end of this."

 "Shut it."

 "-oh I think I can cry, I'm so happy-"

 "So the Sawadas have left the premises, prepared and ready, if they had time to properly pack up supplies." Andy paid no heed to Cali's oncoming tirade. At least, on the outside, he didn't.

 "They have guts, going outside by themselves right now."

 "Well, the boy _is_ the son of Vongola's Young Lion."

 "-feel like deep, deep, _deep_ down inside my fluffy small heart is fucking melting-"

 A twitch in the eyebrows. _Stand strong, Andy._ "Yes, but that doesn't matter when he is an untrained _civilian_ , and so is the mother. Even if they managed to escape the first of the worst surges, they'd be hard-pressed to survive out there."

 "-nd those twinkly tears, you know the ones that sparkle like a diamond, yeah those, can you see them, I'm wiping them away all delicate like Miss Universe with my dainty pinkies-"

 "Judging by the circumstances, they may very be already dead. It was pure luck that we were warned beforehand."

 Andy and Spine shared a heavy look. _Question now is,_ where _did they go?_

 The suspense-filled moment barely survived a second before Cali actually burst into hysterical tears.

 Long-suffering sigh aside, it's time to move on. "Cali, get the door. We're leaving."

 Cali wiped his face with a piece of tissue he got from... somewhere. "Whaaat? But I'm right in the middle of- _ooh_. Oooh, it's okay, totes fine. I get that you don't want to hear my emotional shit, me too, totally understand."

 "I am sarcastically glad that you do."

 A one-eighty from his earlier state, Cali marched cheerfully to the door, and swung it wide open. A moving corpse fell through the doorway with a deep groan, immediately meeting its fated end with a shovel smashed into the face.

 Cali cradled the digging shovel lovingly, the gory part of the shovel disturbingly close to his face. "I've decided, you're too sexy to be left behind! I'm keeping you, Madame Mante!"

 Spine stared at the artful splatter of brain and bony bits, suddenly feeling _so tired._

_~*~~*~_

**(Est. Time 3.05pm)**

Kyoko's brother left them after that - something about extremely going to check on Kyoko. Kusakabe led Tsuna down the hallway lined with windows that overlook the front entrance. It wasn't a pretty sight, on any scale. The courtyard was cleared of any moving things that shouldn't be, but the remaining evidence of their trespassing was a sight Tsuna didn't want to see ever again. The school doors were barricaded (and the thought that he had supported both Nana and Kyoko to climb over them while holding back the mass of bodies attacking them - it seemed so _unreal_ ), but the sheer numbers outside- it was a mass of unidentified wrangled limbs and bodies, all pressed up to the tall iron gates.

If the mass kept pressing like that, the ones in front would be squished through the narrow bars in rotting parts and pieces.

Tsuna resisted the urge to retch. With all the windows shut, the smell wasn't as strong, but he could just imagine. Closing his eyes to block out the stomach-rolling sight, he rubbed circles on his temples with the palm of his hand. _Unreal_ . He was _out there,_ this morning. There were already so many bodies outside then - now it was even worse. It _looked_ so much worse. At least from what he saw this morning, the streets were still relatively clean, but now... he really hoped it rained soon.

And the odor of putrescent, rotten flesh, the faintly acrid tang in the air...he tried hard not to think about it. At least all the windows were shut tight.

Spying the second in command of the Disciplinary Committee walking next to him, Tsuna silently wondered how the other was holding up. To protect the students and faculty in the school, and set up defenses in the face of this current disastrous emergency... Tsuna remembered noticing a distinct lack of numbers of the Disciplinary Committee members when he first reached here, but maybe they just haven't yet reached the school?

 _Then they would be out there. Alone._ Tsuna flinched away from those thoughts.

Kusakabe steadfastly looked forward, eyes unwavering. There was a slump in those broad shoulders, but his stride was steady and purposeful. Tsuna was hesitant to speak up, but he was curious.

"Kusakabe-senpai, can I ask why Hibari-senpai wants to see me?" Except… except for the obvious. _I don't want to be bitten to death!_

"We are gathering more information about what is happening outside in Namimori right now. Since everyone here was already on school grounds before the enemies attacked, and we have barricaded the gates early on, we don't really know much. Networks were down since mid-morning, and we only have very little information to go on."

Kusakabe's tone lowered when he mentioned the 'enemies' that were successful in entering the school. Tsuna glanced down at the courtyard in front of the school building. Some of those bloody smears were students less than eight hours ago. The thought sent shivers down his spine, more so than thinking about fighting those _things_ that morning.

The walking corpses he had faced down earlier in the day were just that, walking corpses. He didn't recognize a single one of them, in fact, in his mind, their faces were nearly indiscernible, all twisted in the same expression of desperate hunger and desire to kill. But for someone that you knew, someone that you had walked with, talked to, to become that...

"In here," Kusakabe opened the door into the first classroom nearest to the stairwell.

It was dim inside the room. The curtains were drawn, evening's glow lit behind the rough fabric, casting deep shadows of the window frames onto the tiled floor. Tsuna paused at the door of the classroom, taking in the very much altered interior.

There were only a few desks and chairs pushed to the sides of the room, and there was a huge table off to the side, extended with more students' desks, with papers and knick-knacks scattered across the top. Filling in the empty space in the middle of the room was an entire sofa set complete with a coffee table.

_Hieee! It looks completely different! Where did these come from?! How did these even fit through the door?_

"Kyoya-san," Kusakabe sketched a shallow bow in greeting.

Hibari was sitting on the two-seater sofa in the center of the room facing the door, legs crossed and arms relaxed by his sides in the semblance of a relaxed posture. His head was lowered, raven bangs shadowing his eyes, but there was no mistake that those steel grey orbs had focused on Tsuna the second he stepped foot inside the classroom.

Matched with the swollen left cheek and split lip on Hibari's face, the sheer intensity of the glare with the animosity behind them made the part in Tsuna that was still secretly blubbering at the happenings around him want to flee and hide somewhere far, _far_ away from here.

The bandages looping around the jaw and over the top of the head to keep the jaw from moving did not in any way diminish the heat of the glare aimed his way. _It looks like a minor break, maybe even a fracture._ Tsuna fervently hoped that it was only a fracture. Unfortunately, he knew from personal experience how much broken jaws hurt, and what a hassle it was until the entire healing process is over.

It was several long and tense seconds where no one spoke. Tsuna was not sure whether he should speak up or wait for the Disciplinary Head to start - _oh no, what if he can't talk!_

"A-ano, Hi-Hibari-senpai, c-can you speak?" Tsuna hunched down on himself, waiting to be bitten to death.

"..."

Tsuna peeked sideways at Kusakabe standing at the side calmly flipping through his notebook. _What am I supposed to do?! Kusakabe-senpai don't act so calm I can see you sweating and you're turning the pages too fast!_ Chancing a sneaky glance at Hibari, he nearly squealed out loud. _Hieeeeee! Why is Hibari-senpai still glaring at me?!_

After a few more seconds of internally freaking out, there was finally a low, "Hng."

Tsuna paused the frantic mess brewing in his head. "E-eh?" Thinking back to his question, he hesitantly continued, "You mean, you really can't speak right now?"

Another glare was aimed at him and almost sent Tsuna crouching down to make himself a smaller target. Habits die hard. Then, those naturally narrow eyes narrowed further. That… that isn't a denial. Gray eyes flicker to the side in annoyance, most likely at the bandages wound around his head.

 _Oh_ . Tsuna almost smacked his own forehead. _Stupid stupid! Hibari-senpai's jaw is bandaged shut!_

Tsuna took a deep breath and bowed deeply, "I'm really sorry for breaking your jaw, Hibari-senpai! Sorry for hurting you! I- I didn't mean to-Hieee!!" A sudden growl deep in the throat emanating from Hibari stopped Tsuna dead in the tracks of his apology.

Perhaps seeing fit to step in and save everyone from potential disaster, Kusakabe finally spoke up, "I witnessed your fight with Kyoya-san, Sawada-san. You aimed to strike, and you struck true. That is all there is to it, and there is no need to apologize. To say that you do not mean to hurt someone in a spar is viewed as an insult, Sawada-san. You are degrading not only yourself, your skills, you are also degrading your opponent. As I recall, you did not step away without your own wounds either, and frankly," here he risked a glance in Hibari's direction to gauge his mood, "To be standing on your own two feet after a friendly spar with Kyoya-san is not a feat many have managed to accomplish."

_So are you saying that I should be proud? I should be proud that I'm all but black and blue, and be proud that our biggest hope at surviving currently cannot talk?!_

Tsuna also noticed with exasperated dread that the 'impromptu fight' is now apparently a 'friendly spar'.

What do people do after a spar? Congratulate each other on hitting one another?

"Then...I've never sparred with someone before but thank you and... that was a good fight..?" he ended the supposedly compliment with a higher note than intended, making it sound like a question. Ignoring Kusakabe's stillness beside him, Tsuna bowed a short bow and looked up at Hibari.

...At least the glare didn't seem so scary anymore. _Or is it still the same?_ Second-guessing so much made his head pound harder.

Trying not to fidget in another bout of now awkward silence, Tsuna turned to Kusakabe, "Y-you said that Hibari-senpai wants to talk with me?" How is he going to move that swollen jaw?

"Ah, yes. Now that we have dodged that bullet... I thought he was going to at least bite a little but good thing he didn't..." Mumbling, Kusakabe started flipping through his notebook, pulling out a pen from his back pocket. _I heard that last sentence, Kusakabe-senpai! Don't think I didn't!_

"There are a few questions we would like you to answer. We already have some data, but it would be good to cross-reference them with your experience. As of right now, we have barricaded all entrances into the school grounds and finished clearing the enemies that managed to invade this morning. Teams are currently sent out to gather supplies in the tools shed, the cafeteria, the reception room, and the principal’s and deputy principal's offices; next on the agenda is the various club rooms.

News on the radio pronounced that this is apparently a worldwide crisis, and the networks are too scrambled right now for us to make phone calls and any normal forms of communication. We have 42 people with us right now, 16 of which are DC members, 4 faculty members, 1 civilian," a small pause here _(Nana)_ , "and 21 students, including you."

42 people? Considering the small population of their school, plus the early hour and so the smaller numbers inside the school early morning... Still, it didn't even reach a sixth of the school's population. _Where are they now? Are they... alive? What about the ones that didn't get saved on time? Did everyone?_

Tsuna shook his head, trying to rid himself of his spiraling thoughts. The abrupt movement made the pounding and throbbing in his head turn into a nauseating sway of screeching and stabbing pain, but he counted it as a success. He focused back on the Vice-President of the Disciplinary Committee.

Clearing his throat, Kusakabe commenced the questioning,

"Was there anything out of the ordinary with the enemies when you were fighting them this morning?"

“…”

Tsuna deadpanned, "They were dead."

_How am I supposed to answer that question! Everything is wrong with them! Some have missing limbs! One had a hole in her stomach!_

Struggling to avoid the flat stares he knew was aimed at him, Tsuna mentally threw back w _ell they are dead! What is more out of the ordinary than that?! Although..._

"They....don't feel pain, I think. A lot of them were slow moving, and...not very smart? A lot of them are also wearing hospital clothes, those white pajamas kind. I think I saw some that were wearing hospital uniforms too.... Others are just...normal people, like us," here Tsuna swallowed. Looking at the faces of the two older boys (alright, only Kusakabe - he still can't tell with Hibari), he knew they were thinking the same thing.

_They were normal. Like us. But now they're not anymore._

"That coincides with the information we got from observation and from the radio news before communications went down. For those of us who are learned in some forms of combat, we will already have some advantage over these enemies. Weaknesses are very low intelligence and mobility. Strength is immunity to pain." Jotting down something in his notebook, Kusakabe continued, "The best way to defeat them is...?"

Tsuna massaged his throbbing head. The pain that had subsided for a little just now is coming back with a vengeance.

"You have to do a lot of damage to keep one down. I didn't have time, so I mostly just make it harder for them to follow, like, kicking their legs ( _hard enough to shatter, don’t forget_ ), then kept on moving. B-but, it takes destroying the h-head for them to be completely dead. A-at least for some of them, that's what I did." _The voice in my mind told me to, to keep Mama and Kyoko safe, and I did._ The voice in his head kept telling him what to do. Just like how it's still doing now. Tsuna didn't think it was something worth mentioning, and so didn't.

  _Careful slowly beware careful_

 "Also, there were very few, but some of them are different than the others. They...they were the ones I took out by k-destroying the heads." If he just closed his eyes now and swing his hands, he could feel the crunch of bones, of fracturing and shattering skull beneath his fists. Tsuna didn't know which was more impossible, him bashing in skulls with his _bare fists_ , or _him_ bashing in skulls with his bare fists; the latter one, most likely.

 "They look the same, but they could move a lot faster. They moved like us. Normal walking and running, I mean. They were running in front of the slow kind, and I thought they were normal people at first." Tsuna continued.

Kusakabe shot him an alarmed look, but only sped up his note taking. The scratching sound of pen on paper quickly came to a stop.

"Sawada-san," Kusakabe looked disturbed. "Are you saying that there were enemies that had normal, normal-like coordination and agility?"

"A-ah? Yes, yes there were." He could feel the tension spiking in the room. The odor of putrescent flesh suddenly seemed so much stronger.

Hibari stood abruptly. The metal tonfas snapped into his hands, glinting ominously. _Hiiieeeeeee!!! What? What did I do wrong?!!_

_Careful careful careful beware slowly_

Kusakabe's voice sounded strangely choked. "Sawada-san, are you saying that there are enemies who could climb over the school walls, and into the school where our members are currently patrolling?"

 _Slowly careful be careful beware_ **_THEY ARE HERE_ **

~*~~*~

**(Est. time 3.10pm)**

Hibari was out the door and down the stairways in a whirlwind of flashing tonfas and flapping black gakuran. Kusakabe immediately called for an emergency meeting with the remaining Disciplinary Committee members guarding the third floor of the school building. They converged, were informed of the situation, and were sent off as reinforcements to the location of the patrolling squads in three minutes flat.

Through the entire commotion, Tsuna was wrangling an entirely different situation - the voice in his head causing his severe headache. It was ringing, resonating, rising in volume and sheer intensity.

 _Careful they are here Beware Careful Careful Be Careful THEY ARE HERE CAREFUL CAREFUL_ **_THEYAREHERE_ **

A hand landing heavily on his shoulder momentarily shook him out of the resonating screaming in his mind.

"Sawada-san, I trust you to watch over this floor for us. All the doors from ground floor heading up are already barricaded, and after we take the connecting corridors to the next buildings we'll put up barriers for those too. If there are any attacks contact any one of us on this." Something compact and slightly heavy was thrust into his hands. "You know how to use a transceiver?" Tsuna hadn't even got to shake his head in denial before Kusakabe plowed on, "You do. Good. Stay alert."

And there went another flurry of flapping black jackets, pompadours bobbing furiously in sync with pounding footsteps going down the stairs.

Tsuna looked down at the black, heavy-duty use walkie-talkie in his hand. Periodically, there was a short buzz and the sound of a _buzz_ before someone will update things like, "Squad 7 eta 5 minutes, Roger." or "Squad 6 and 2 reporting in. over. " or even "Squad 5 Kaichou sighted on section C first floor. over."

“...”

_Hiieeeeeeeee?!!!!!!!!_

Tsuna had a sudden urge to crouch down into a ball, clutch his head, pull his hair out, then roll on the floor and scream at the top of his lungs.

He hadn't had time to decide on one before there was another tap on his shoulder. Dread curdling in the pit of his stomach, Tsuna slowly turned around, only to be faced with the concerned face of one Sasagawa Kyoko.

"Tsuna-kun...what is happening? Where did all the Disciplinary Committee members go?" Brows furrowed, her worried eyes stare straight into Tsuna, and the screaming in his head subsided as he thought back to a similar situation that morning.

_Kyoko and Nana were in the kitchen when he came downstairs. He placed a backpack down by the entryway into the kitchen before stepping into the living room, rummaging through the cabinets for the flashlight and extra batteries._

_Sawada Nana stood behind Tsuna's crouching form, sans her now blood-stained apron. "Tsu-kun, what can Mama help you pack?"_

_Her voice was hesitant, but the way she uttered his name was the same as always. It was a sound that always greeted him when he came home after a day of being called nothing but 'Dame-Tsuna', in his mother's cheerful, airy tone. It was a two syllable word he heard morning and night, yet the nickname his mother had for him had always made him feel fond, loved. Tsuna knew his mother wasn't the most aware person around, so when he first heard her call him 'Dame-Tsuna', he couldn't tell her that it broke his heart, just a little bit. Nana loved him though, more than anything else, and he knew it, could feel it every time she called his name._

_"Mama," he breathed, and that was his first spoken word since he threw himself between Kyoko and the monsters on the streets, his first word since the intensely fiery, burning focus settled in his mind. "Can you please help me pack some canned and dried food into the bag at the kitchen door? Bottled water too, as much as possible. And... your knives and any blunt tools that will fit." A pause. "Don't forget the can opener."_

_"Alright, Tsu-kun."_

_Tsuna hadn't called Nana 'Mama' since he was eight, a few months after he stopped calling Iemitsu 'Papa', and she missed it dearly. Her Tsu-kun was growing up, but she knew there is still a long way for him to go. She is his mother, she knows that her Tsu-kun will grow into a wonderful, strong, good man like she knows her own name. But now..._

_Nana's eyes sweep over her son's form. Her clumsy, shy, and often scatter-brained little boy who hadn't really grown out of hiding behind his mother's skirts, acting so differently. Calm, collected, meticulous, oh, and that glint of determination in his eyes! She knows that right now, she is getting a glimpse of the man her little Tsu-kun would become one day. It wasn't the best situation, but as a mother she feels so, so_ proud _. Nana stepped away with a lightness in her steps that didn't go unnoticed, and a small part of Tsuna quietly wondered what it was all about._

_He specifically packed the bags so that the weight would be distributed unevenly. Shouldering on the heaviest one, Tsuna gave the Sawada house one last sweep, double-checking that he had brought all he could. The insistent, absolute need to get to safety urged him on, and Tsuna put a hand on Nana's elbow to lead his mother to the front door._

_Kyoko followed half a step behind him, the uncharacteristic timidness she exhibited was further amplified by her pale face and wide-blown eyes. She hadn't talked at all since he had first grabbed hold of her hand and told her to run, and she swallowed hard, struggling to take her eyes off the blood streaks on the floor from the bodies Nana had dragged out earlier._

_"Tsuna-kun... w-will it really be okay to go outside?" There was a quiet kind of desperateness reflected in her amber eyes._

_There is a last line in everyone, a line that signifies change, a line that not many are willing to step over. Most do so slowly over time, unconsciously, but this is different. The line is now the edge of a tall precipice, and down the cliff's edge is complete darkness. Danger is creeping in, she cannot stay; the unknown lies beyond, she needs to jump. There is brittleness in the girl, but she does not want to break. Kyoko refuses to shatter like so much fragile glass._

_Tsuna looked into those amber orbs, and he knew what she was asking of him. Kyoko knows she must take that step forward, and she will. She will, but...with a hand guiding hers, she could do it with her head held higher, her breath steadier. Tsuna could give her that hand._

_"Yes, Kyoko-chan. It'll be okay. We'll all be okay."_

_You don't have to be afraid, I have already jumped headlong into uncharted territory, and so can you. We don't know what we're going to face, we don't know what's going to happen, but that's_ okay _. It's completely okay._

Those amber orbs are a mirror image of what it was hours before: a plea not for truth, nor even placating comfort; but for strength. Faced with them, Tsuna had only one answer.

"They went to support the patrol teams in case there is some trouble. I'm standing guard here, to keep everyone safe. Don't worry." He replied with firm conviction. It wasn't something to make himself feel better, but it did.

Kyoko's expression eased, and she gave him one of her signature cheery smiles, albeit slightly subdued. Ryohei came up from behind Kyoko, a dark haired girl following behind him.

"Kyoko! Sawada! What is EXTREMELY going on?" the boxer asked.

Kyoko turned to her brother and the girl. "The DC members are going on patrol, so Tsuna-kun is in charge right now. We'll help him, won't we?" The request was accompanied by a sweet, sweet smile.

Ryohei pumped a  fist into the air, "Yosh! We would help Tsuna, to the EXTREME!"

The dark haired girl gave an exasperated huff, "Don't rush into the situation to 'help' without knowing what's going on first, you big monkey, or you'll just end up inconveniencing everyone involved. "

The girl sounded acerbic and even condescending to boot, but Tsuna could tell she meant well. He remembered her now, Kurokawa Hana, the self-proclaimed protector of Kyoko-chan from 'foolish monkeys' that are apparently made up of the entire male population. A girl with a tongue as sharp as her eye for picking apart a person from the inside out.

Dark eyes cut a sharp glance at Tsuna, and he saw the smoldering glint in them, a testament to the spine of steel in the girl.

"As the DC members aren't here, you'll need help securing this floor, right? I know this monkey here," a nudge at Ryohei, "would be able to help in acting as a stationary guard. Where are the routes we need to look out for? We'll need an estimation of numbers, and I know just who to recruit...."

Kyoko and Ryohei took in what Hana said seriously, the former nodding at intervals, the latter scratching his head in confusion at the end of every sentence. Tsuna let the no-nonsense and to the point planning of Hana wash over him, the voice in his head purring in agreement.

He didn't want anyone to get hurt...but it would be better with more competent hands holding up the duty. _These are the people you are protecting,_ a voice whispered, _trust them. Trust that they, too, want to protect._

"...now we should go gather the others, and explain what they need to do. Let's all hope they get more than this lug of a monkey did," cue another jab at Ryohei, "or we'll all be doomed."

He nodded. "Where is everyone?"

"Class 2-B, Tsuna-kun," Kyoko said, as he strode over. The others falling in line beside him, Kyoko smiling, Hana throwing more jabs at poor Ryohei who had given up on understanding the plan and just going along with his extremely "EXTREME"s.

 _Everyone is safe_ , he told Kyoko. Tsuna is resolved to see his words come true, and that was a goal he could strive towards. No matter what, everyone _will_ be safe.

_I swear on my own life, no one will be harmed._

Since the second he woke up in this Namimori a few shades darker than macabre, his mind had never felt so calm.

~*~~*~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be so many OCs. So many. I cannot stress this enough. Also, seek me out on Tumblr sometime! I'm aeryannef


	3. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things pick up the pace, and more people joins in. Tsuna knows what he needs to do now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! This one is early by almost a week, as I really can't hold in the excitement XD  
> The next chapter would be posted later, on 15 September.

_RUN RUN RUN_

They are right behind him, not the same ones but they are all after him _._ He's not sure where he is anymore. If he could just slow down to _see_ -

_DON'T STOP DON'T STOP THEY ARE RIGHT BEHIND-_

He could outrun them, but there were just _so many_ and they were _everywhere_.

_RUN RUN RUN_

His breath was stuttered, his eyes were stinging from the sweat dripping down his face, he's so confused and panicked and _tired_ and-

_PAIN PAIN OUCH IGNORE IGNORE_

Clutching hard onto the strap of his bag and another hand pressed hard on his midriff, he jetted down the road. A turn here, a twist down the alleyway-

_NO! BACKTRACK- BACKTRACK!_

Turning frantically, one foot tripped on the other, throwing his balance off. There was a standstill moment of muted disbelief, that this can't be happening, not now of all times- before he sprawled across the pavement, chin smacking on the cement bone-jarringly hard.  

 _BREATH MOVE MOVE M-_  

There were disjointed groans, dragging footsteps, the shuffling of movements edging ever closer behind him and in front of him. Pupils dilated in fear, he tried to do something, anything.

_STAND UP! RUN!_

Those moving things, _bodies_ that _should be dead_ closed in. His limbs spasmed, burning muscles protesting his attempt at standing.

_NO!!_

This is it. This is the end.

 _I am going to die here. I am going to die without knowing if Akiko, Mum and Dad is alive or_ gone _. I am going to die here, streets away from Yumei. I don't want to die. I don't want to die this way._

_I am going to die without fulfilling my dream._

Oddly enough, it was the last thought that stayed with him, reverberated the loudest in his mind. Desperate, he pushed himself up onto his knees, but the pathetic trembling that was wracking his limbs, making his knees shaking and weak _just_ _wouldn't stop._

The scraps on his arms and the side of his face stung sharply from the salt of sweat dripping down onto the pavement. Everything was blurry ( _No! My glasses!_ ), and he wasn't even sure anymore if the salty droplets aren't really tears.

_It's no use. I can’t do this. I can't run anymore._

~*~~*~

**(Est. time 3.15pm)**

The students were all huddled up together in the center of the classroom. The classroom itself was like the one Hibari was in just now - curtains drawn and quiet. Hushed. The atmosphere was so heavy it felt like a physical weight had settled upon his shoulders the moment he opened the doors.

Sunlight from the afternoon sun was glaring compared to the gloomy lighting in the room, and all eyes turn towards Tsuna. He suppressed an involuntary shiver. _They look so...scared. So absolutely_ terrified _._

Behind him, even Ryohei had quiet down, influenced by the somber mood as they stepped into the classroom. Tsuna paused, a little uncertain. A few seconds passed, and still everyone's eyes were on him. No one spoke. He swept his eyes over everyone in the classroom, and saw Nana sitting at the back, body hunched over, head cushioned by her arms crossed on the small desk in front of her.

"Kurokawa-san, could you call the people who can help outside? I want to check on my mum," making a beeline towards Nana, Tsuna almost missed the relieved sigh Hana huffed out, before she started rattling off several names in a strict projecting voice.

Ignoring the stares boring into the back of his head, Tsuna quietly knelt down beside his mother, movements gentle. He didn't want to wake Nana, but he needed to check on her state. Those frightened, terrified eyes and numb expression...he tried to imagine if his mother looked at him with that expression on her face, but they don't suit her at all. Not his mother. Not his cheery and optimistic Mama.

Gentle fingers carefully ran through the curtain of soft, brown hair, pushing them behind the woman's ear, unveiling the features softened by sleep, and at the sight, Tsuna couldn't help a small chuckle escaping.

Nana's eyes were closed in an almost half-moon, matching the small smile on her lips. Nana had always prided herself as a 'young-looking' mother, but as she dozed peacefully away, dreaming of something beautiful... She looked so young, and so happy.

He stood up, gaze lingering on his mother before stepping away, no longer bothered by the drilling stares fixed in desolate expressions. He need not worry - Nana would not bear that expression on her face, and sooner or later these people who all lost something today would realize that it was always theirs to regain.

_I wonder, what are you dreaming about, Mama?_

Tsuna thinks his mother is truly one of kind; being able to stand up and defend, to protect her home. So strong, being able to still smile in her sleep after everything she witnessed today. The horrific, gruesome darkness that lurks just outside the grounds, so near you can hear them, smell them; they can never come close to touching her. He didn't mean it in the literal sense, but on the spiritual side - Nana's soul will never be tainted by emotions dark and bleak. Her smile will continue to shine through whatever hardships that may come her way, a beacon to guide those lost on their paths.

Nana had always hugged Tsuna tight in her arms when he was little, murmuring about how he was her little bundle of love and wonder that brought joy into her world. It was when he was very young, and happened more frequently when the man that called himself 'Papa' came and left again.

When she looked at him, Nana's smile was always bright and happy - she never wavered. Not once in his life. She thought Tsuna brought her joy. He knows she is his pillar of strength, of belief that there is always joy in his pitiful, clumsy life. Though it was small, and faint, but Tsuna had never lost that tiny spark of hope, that one day, he would find more happiness in his life, that _this,_ being alive, is _worth it_. Because no matter what happens, he will have Nana to greet him with a cheery smile at the end of every day.

Before he stepped out of the door, something urged him to pause. _Be like Mama, show that it's okay. Everything is okay, because I won't let this get to me._ He didn't really want to… _but isn't this what I feel? Shouldn't I show them not be so scared, too?_

Tsuna didn't really know what had happened here in school, what had happened to them. What had they seen, what had they been through? He didn't want to assume and impose, but- a genuine smile from Nana always made his mood better, even if she didn't know what had gone on in school. Just to show that she cares... Tsuna bit his lip, and turned to look at the remaining students and teachers, the survivors, and looked properly.

All these people here, they are here, and _alive_ . They should know that being so afraid, so absolutely terrified, helps _nothing_ , it only drains away at your soul and energy until nothing is left.

_That is... a third-year student I've seen before... over there is the top student in second year... that is Akayu-san, from the class next to mine... Ah, even Shiro-sensei is here. Koda-sensei, too..._

Tsuna studied each and everyone in the room, meeting their eyes steadily. He didn't try to speak, not when many of them wouldn't hear his words.

Once he was sure everyone was looking in his eyes and aware, he gave a nod, and a small, tired grin.

“You are safe now.”

 _You survived. It's not over, this nightmare is far from over, but at least, right now, you are safe safe safesafe_ **_safe_ **

He tried to project those feelings as hard as he could without speaking, but he wasn't sure if it was heard.

There were subtle flickers in each and every person's face, beginnings of emotions other than that blind, choking fear - but Tsuna had already turned away, closing the doors behind him with a soft thud.

~*~~*~

Outside, three more students were waiting for him.

"Oi, why are we out here?" A tall boy with black spiky hair and sharp eyebrows demanded, looking very uncomfortable at the sight of the things crowding and squirming to reach through the school gates.

"W-why are there no more Disciplinary Committee members here, Hana-chan?" a petite girl with pale skin and dark brown hair asked, her voice quavering slightly.

There was another boy, sporting shaved black hair, his eyes fixed onto the nauseating sight on the front courtyard and beyond.

"Hush, I called you out because we need people to help patrol and act as sentinels for the bridge to Block B and the corridor to the science labs. You, " Hana pointed at the boy with the shaved head who is starting to look sick, "stop looking over there unless you want to throw up."

Scrunching her nose, she continued, "We don't have nearly enough people, so we have to make do. Ooyama Ushio, Karate Team Captain. You team up with Mochida Kensuke, Kendo Team Captain. You two watch over the corridor to the science labs. Marino Maemi, Sasagawa Kyoko, and Sasagawa Ryohei will go check on the barricades on the other floors of this building. I'm Kurokawa Hana, and I'll be with Sawada Tsunayoshi guarding the bridge over to the staff office."

"I understand," the girl, Marino nodded. Tsuna doesn't really remember her since school started two weeks ago, so she might not be in his year.

"How do you know my name? Wait, I have to walk that far?! Why can't I watch the bridge?" Mochida piped up.

"I EXTREMELY cannot let Kyoko go! It's too EXTREMELY dangerous!"

"Onii-san please, I can help!"

"Now wait a minute, Kyoko-chan can't go, she's the school idol and my future girlfriend! What if she gets hurt!"

"Please c-calm down, Sasagawa-san."

"EXTREMELY who are you to Kyoko?"

"Uwah!! Wait, I didn't mean it like that!"

"..." Ooyama's eyes still drift back to the front gates as much as he tried not to, his face slowly turning an alarming shade of green.

Kyoko seemed to grow more and more concerned with each exclamation, looking back and forth between the older boys and her best friend. Hana sucked in a deep breath as if to start yelling, but there was a crackle from the walkie talkie in Tsuna's hand, a _buzz_ , and then _"Squad 8 enemy spotted. Preparing to engage. over."_ It was Kusakabe's voice.

Tsuna frowned, raising the walkie-talkie to his mouth. If this is one of the ones that move faster than normal...better safe than sorry.

_Click._

"Sawada Tsunayoshi here, Squad 8 the enemy might move faster than humans, it would be better to note where they are and avoid them for the moment. It would take more than three people to take them down safely. Please don’t fight them unless they attack you," he exaggerated a little.

There was another _buzz_ , then came " _Squad 8, wilco. Everyone, stay away from the badminton courts. We're locking it in. over._ "

 _What does ‘wilco’ mean?_ Tsuna wondered, looking up to a close up of an incredulous stare from Mochida. "Why the hell are the DC taking orders from you, Dame-Tsuna?"

"That is because Sawada is EXTREME!" Ryohei replied unhelpfully.

"That- that doesn't explain anything!" accused Mochida.

"E-erm..." Tsuna was at a loss as to how to explain. _I don't know. I'm still wondering why too._

Marino stepped in, "You- and Ooyama too- were rescued by the clean-up team... that means... you two weren't there when Sawada Tsunayoshi arrived."

"Arrived? What-" Mochida seemed to have entirely forgotten the grisly sight behind him, and fed up with his attitude, Hana stomped up to him, grabbed him by the shoulders and spun Mochida around.

" _Look!_ Look at what is out there! Some of them are _inside_ the school right now, you moron! You're a monkey, but even real monkeys have better survival instincts than you! Now do you _still_ want to argue nonsense or are you going to start saving your own life?"

Tsuna risked a glance, and the sight of the bodies enmeshed at the gates have only grown worse, as true to his earlier predictions, body parts belonging to those corpses at the front have literally been squished through the gaps between the bars, plopping to the ground in a squelch of decaying chunks left to fester under the sun, still oozing foul, viscous fluid.

Ryohei shifted uneasily too, quickly raising a hand to block Kyoko's eyes, never mind that his sister was studiously staring at an entirely different direction.

Unfortunately, Ooyama seemed to have reached his limit, and with a choked heave, he lurched forward scrambling to unlatch a window, head barely clearing the panes before retching, chunks of food covered with creamy chyme propelled into the air, splattering against the asphalt below.

The stench from outside hit all of them like a brick-wall, of half-digested stomach contents, of putrescent, decaying flesh, of feces, and of freshly spilled blood. They had grown somewhat used to the smell, but this is amplified by a hundred times, and so, so much worse.

Blanching, everyone simultaneously slapped a hand on their face, covering up their nose - Mochida giving an impressive impression of holding in his stomach contents from expelling themselves onto the tiled floor.

Tsuna can barely keep his own stomach from rebelling, the sound of excessive vomiting echoing down the hallway only making it worse. Ooyama was still retching despite there being only clear liquid in his stomach now. Tsuna put a hand on the glass of the window, and the moment Ooyama -stomach now completely empty- moved to dry-heaving, Tsuna pushed the window shut and latched it tightly. It didn't help, and the acrid stench permeated through the air of the corridor.

There was a few seconds of distinct awkwardness that they waited for Ooyama's stomach to calm, the silence broken only by the sound of coughs and dry heaves.

The door to the classroom slid open, and a man wearing a blue and white tracksuit stepped out.

"Oh dear, what is that smell?!" he waved a hand in front of his nose, futilely trying to dispel the disgusting stench. Ooyama took this opportunity to throw himself into the room. Kyoko reached out a hand to stop him, but dropped it. No one tried to call him back.

"Koda-sensei...are you going to help us?" Hana was inspecting the teacher up and down, and Tsuna can't help but feel that the look was a tad too obtrusive.

"Ah...yes? I mean, you're all my students, as your teacher, I must do everything I can to help you succeed in life, " the calm-natured gym teacher seemed entirely unbothered by anything other than the putrid smell.

"Alright then, " with a decisive nod, Hana rearranged the patrol and sentinel plans in her head. " Sasagawa Ryohei and Koda-sensei, check on the barriers on the doors and the stairs. Mochida Kensuke and Marino Maemi, science corridor. Sawada Tsunayoshi will be guarding the east bridge, with Kyoko and I patrolling and getting updates from all three of you."

"I EXTREMELY CANNOT let-" Ryohei started, but a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

Scratching a hand through his mess of reddish-brown strands, Koda guided Ryohei towards the stairs. "Alright then, let's set out, Sasagawa-kun. I'm sure your boxing training can be put to good use here. I remember seeing you practicing a special punch last week, what is it called?"

Immediately distracted, Ryohei's excited "EXTREME CONSECUTIVE STRAIGHT!!" echoed as they descended down the stairwell.

Used to her brother's antics, Kyoko pulled Hana and Marino towards the corridor to the science labs, declaring that "We should start on our jobs too, Hana-chan, Maemi-chan! Can I call you Maemi-chan?"

Tsuna was left with Mochida, and the older boy inspected him dubiously. Tsuna mentally compared him to the other students inside the classroom (faces pinched tight with unrelenting fear, quiet and subdued, not a single whisper, a room muted in light and sound despite the thirty living people in there). He much preferred any emotion- even suspicion- over that. Maybe they shouldn't close themselves off in that room like that. Tsuna was worried about Nana. Maybe he could ask Kusakabe about it later.

"Tch, do you even know how to fight? Can you even stand to do what we all need to? Have you got what it takes to _kill_?" Mochida sounded skeptical at first, his tone darkening and ending his barrage of questions with distrusting, menacing glare.

Tsuna cannot fault him for that.

 _I am Dame-Tsuna. How can he trust someone like_ me _to guard those people? How can I ask those people to put their lives in my hands?_ _...Do_ _I trust myself?_

Somehow, some way or another, he had been pushed into the role of a protector. He now holds the responsibility of being one of the only people standing between the undead and the people in the classroom right now. It’s a heavy responsibility, but for the first time since he could remember, this is a responsibility Tsuna does not want to push away, no matter how much it weighs on him.

Because there are people counting on him. It’s the first time someone had looked to him, _him,_  to solve their problems. Kusakabe trusted him, _Tsuna_ , to guard everyone here.

_How could I refuse?_

_Dame_ or not, Tsuna wants to do it. He wants to protect everyone here. He saw them, he knows their faces now, and he told them _you are safe_ , and if anything bad happens to these people… Tsuna knows he will never forget their faces, and it would _haunt_ him because it would be on _him_.

Tsuna is determined, he has the will; but does he have the way? _How am I supposed to keep them safe?_

 _Will that burning flame appear again, if I wish it to? How am I supposed to fight, when I know nothing? Will my hands and feet automatically move to what that voice in my head tells them to? What if those moving corpses come, and I can't do_ anything _?_

An image of Kyoko covered in crimson, mouth frozen in a semblance of a horrified scream flashed before his eyes, replaced in the next second by one of Nana, expression twisted in blind hunger, limbs equally bent and contorted reaching out, her voice in a deep inhuman moan _'Tsu-kun.....'_

Tsuna felt his core burst into flames, fiery anguish searing through his veins.

**_NO!!!!_ **

_It won’t come to that!_ It will never, _ever_ , come to that. Not while he is alive, not even if he is dead. _I swore on my life, I now swear on my_ death _;  I would walk through fire,  fight tooth and nail through the deepest depths of hell,  I would literally_ claw _myself back to the living to keep the people I love safe._

_Have you got what it takes to kill?_

_I already have._

Tsuna looked Mochida dead in the eye, fiery orange glinting under warm brown.

"If I need to, I promise to do whatever necessary."

Mochida held his stare for a few moments, before breaking eye contact. His stance was rigid, eyes strangely solemn, a staggering difference from the impetuous teen who was whining about walking distance just a minute ago.

" _Che,"_ Mochida slammed open the door to the classroom, going in and coming back out with his shinai a moment later.

"You better keep to your word, Dame-Tsuna!"

Brandishing the blunt weapon unwrapped from its protective cloth, he threw down the last word before quickly catching up with the girls.

~*~~*~

Tsuna watched them turn down the corridor before taking a deep breath, shoulders rising. _Finally alone,_ he thought, and then almost doing a full body slump in a dramatic huff. He raised his head from his chest, breathing slowly. The aches from the bruises covering almost every inch of his torso throbbed again, a constant background pain reminding Tsuna that there's still a lot where it came from, and there's no time for rest. Not now, not yet.

Biting his lip, Tsuna straightened, forcing his back ramrod straight, away from his usual lackluster slump.

Heading towards the bridge connecting this building to the next, he focused on the walkie-talkie in his hand, and the hallway before him.

_That's right, one step at a time, just like you do every day._

_Only- only this time it's not only for me, and not only for Mama._

Faces of Kyoko, Ryohei, Hana, Kusakabe, Hibari, Mochida, all the students, the survivors flashed through his mind.

 _Whatever it takes, I refuse_ _to fail._

~*~~*~

**(Est. Time 3.20pm)**

There were tables stacked on top of each other, row after row, four stacks high reaching the ceiling, forming a maze of metal even someone of Tsuna's size can't crawl through. Tall, test assignments filled-cupboards lined two sides of the bridge on Tsuna's end after the wall of tables, narrowing the bridge further. Wedged into the corners, their weight made them nearly immovable from the other side. If anyone wants to come from that side, they'll have to remove the tables one by one, then walk at most two-by-two to reach this side.

He stood fidgeting in the middle of the bridge, listening intently to the continuous flow of reports from the Disciplinary Committee members.

_"Squad 5 reporting in. Squad 1 is off patrol route. Searching. over."_

_..._

_"Squad 7 and 3 reporting in. Roger."_

_..._

_"Squad 6 and 2, garden and tool shed. Requesting help transporting equipment. over."_

_..._

_"Squad 7 and 3 responding to 6 and 2. Roger."_

_..._

_"Squad 8 eta 2 min, Kaguya, 'Roger' is not used like that, and we use ‘over’. over."_

_..._

_"Squad 6 and 2, Roger that, Missus. Roger."_

_..._

_"Squad 8 on the way, Kaguya please stop. over."_

_..._

_"Aoi and Kaguya, focus. Please. over."_

...

That last one was from Kusakabe. Tsuna looked at the walkie-talkie in his hand, a little weirded out. He didn't know the Disciplinary Committee members can even _joke_ . Well, Kusakabe was actually pretty normal, considering. Tsuna had always imagined the Namimori Disciplinary Committee as devote _(demonic)_ followers of the incarnate of The Devil or Godly Punishment, which Hibari Kyoya may very well be. They always seemed so stoic and cold...

Shows that even the most unlikely people can turn out with surprising personalities. Footsteps, light and unassuming came from behind him. Tsuna twirled around, fists clenching-

"Tsunayoshi-san."

It was pure luck he bit his inner cheek and stopped the girly shriek escaping his mouth. _Geez, moving corpses I can face, but talking to a girl is a completely different thing_.

It was Kurokawa Hana standing behind him, hands on hips. Tsuna gulped at her assessing glare. There was a tick at the corner of her right eye, and she looked _menacing_ . He prepared himself for... _something,_ anything.

"I don't know how you did it and trust me, I am going to find out. But you protected Kyoko and brought her here safely, so for that, I owe you. You also seem adamant on protecting the rest of us, and I _will_ repay you as I see fit. I am a woman of my words - I do not go back on them without good reason, but I trust that you have the common decency to know where lines are drawn, therefore that is not an issue I am concerned with. I hope we will be able to reach a compromise soon, and I believe this operation is the first step. So there." Hana finished with an expectant look, but Tsuna felt tongue-tied.

_Hiee!!! That- that was not what I was expecting. What did she say, again?_

"Erm," Tsuna shifted a little awkwardly.

Hana cut in again. “Before anything else, I thank you for saving Kyoko’s life and bringing her to safety at the risk of your own.” She shot him an unreadable look. “Somewhat admirable.”

Despite the harsh attitude, Tsuna knew he was being thanked. It was so surprising that he couldn’t even feel abashed for it.

"It's nothing, I didn’t- "   

"It's _not_ nothing." Hana cut him off again, brows furrowing. "You don't get to go off saving people's lives, then turn around saying that it's _nothing,_ you monkey. That's not only downgrading yourself, but the lives that you saved! If it was me you saved and you're now here calling saying that it was nothing, I'd feel like hitting you on the head with something heavy. I don't know about you, but I know that Kyoko's life is not _nothing_ , and I dare you to think otherwise."

_To say that you do not mean to hurt someone in a spar is viewed as an insult, Sawada-san. You are degrading not only yourself and your skills, you are also degrading your opponent._

This is the second time today someone has told him to not downgrade himself and subsequently insult someone else. Both are for different scenarios...Is it even the same thing?

Hana raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow, dark eyes glinting as if she could see right into his soul. "You look like you have questions. Spill."

_Sc-scary!_

"I...it- it's just, you are the second person to tell me not to do that, I mean, insulting other people by, uh, downgrading myself, but! But I don't mean to, and I just don't really understand why..."

When he says he didn't mean to hurt someone, it means he _didn't want to hurt them_ , that he is sorry, that he feels bad for causing people pain. Tsuna doesn't want to make people _hurt_ \- he has never wanted to, not when the bullies are chasing him with fake rubbery spiders in elementary school, not when he found his school bag hung up on the highest branches of a tree, not even when his face and what it feels like _everywhere_ throbs and aches in time with his running footsteps and the multitude of excuses floating in his head when he was late going home, again.

Tsuna always wished that it would stop, he always wondered _Why?_ and _Why me?_ , but not once had his thoughts even come close to _retribution_. Hitting back when someone is already hitting you seems so pointless and almost always make the situation worse, and Tsuna doesn't want that.

_I just don't want anyone to get hurt, is that so bad?_

As for saving Kyoko, and Nana... that is the point, isn't it? Saving them, keeping them safe. Not letting anything bad and horrible and awful near them. What else is he supposed to do? It's like- it's like how homework needs to be done, how a pet needs to be fed, and how you need to brush your teeth in the morning. Do you ever think _I am doing something that other people would thank me for_ when you brush your teeth? He didn't think protecting Kyoko would lead to people being in his debt. He didn't think at all. It's just the way things are supposed to be; Kyoko-chan and Mama, being safe and happy.

_I just made sure things stay the same, that the people I care about are not sad and hurt. What are you thanking me for?_

He told Hana as much.

She returned an absolutely incredulous stare.  

"You, Sawada Tsunayoshi, are _unbelievable_."

It didn't sound like a bad thing, so Tsuna didn't know what to make of it.

"Er, p- please just call me Tsuna, Kurokawa-san. Tsunayoshi is too long."

Hana narrowed her eyes, muttering something like _can't believe people like you actually exist_ under her breath, and replied with, "Alright then, Tsuna-san, then you can call me by my first name. And don't think I've let you off the hook, just- whenever someone thanks you for something, instead of thinking _why should they_ , ask yourself if the people involved are worth anything first. The people you've helped, or saved, or- Kami, even just _talked to_ , maybe, who knows with you? Just- remember, if they mean anything, _anything_ at all to you, then it is not _nothing_ , you got me?"

"Uh...ha, y-yes, got it, Ku- Hana-san." _You look like you're going to strangle me if I say no!_

"Hmm, close enough. If I ever hear you dismissing yourself- and subsequently the other people involved- again, I will _personally_ make sure you'll regret it. Think of it as part of my debt to you."

 _Hiee?! What-_ debt _? But- Ehh?? I- I really don't understand girls at all..._

"Tsuna-kun!" Tsuna was immensely glad of the timely interjection, as Hana seemed to be ready to put on more steam for a full-length speech.

"Kyoko-chan, is everything alright?" _Speaking of... isn't Kyoko-chan and Hana supposed to patrol together? Why was Hana here first?_

"Everything is fine, Tsuna-kun. Mochida-senpai and Maemi-chan is already over there guarding the corridor." Turning to Hana, Kyoko showed her a handcrafted paracord keychain dangling from her finger. It was a simple snake braid, green entwined with yellow, with a small, irregular-shaped yellowish crystal tied to the other end. "Did Maemi-chan give you a keychain too?

Hana nodded. "She did, though mine's purple and green. So, Tsuna, nothing happening here?"

A little curious but not enough to question, Tsuna nodded. "Uh-uhn. It's fine, you two go check on Sasagawa-senpai and Koda-sensei."

Kyoko smiled, and Tsuna nearly got blown off his feet with the sparkly flowers blooming around her. "I think Onii-chan would like you to call him big brother too, Tsuna-kun. You are probably on the top of his 'extreme' people already after you saved me."

"Aha, erm, it's- it's...." _Hana is glaring at me. So scary! But she's right, Kyoko-chan, you are not nothing. You... are very important to me, so-_

"You're very welcome, Kyoko-chan. I’m glad to be able to save you."

Hana gave a satisfied huff, and Tsuna felt like he just dodged something very, very terrible.

"We're off to look for the big monkey then, see you in a bit, Tsuna-san."

"Stay safe, Tsuna-kun!"

Kyoko gave a small wave, but turned around after a few steps.

“Tsuna-kun, _gambateh_ neh? If you need anything, we’ll be here, so it’s going to be okay!” Kyoko made the classic pumping fist of cheering someone on, oddly reminiscent of her pale-haired sibling.

_“It’ll be okay. We’ll all be okay.”_

A throwback of what Tsuna himself told her less than half-an-hour before.

“Yes, Kyoko-chan. We’ll be okay.” Tsuna nodded. _Thank you_.

She gave him a blindingly sparkly smile in return.

He waved as they turned down the hallway, heading for the stairs. _Stay safe too, Kyoko-chan, Hana-san._

Focusing back to the barricaded bridge, Tsuna sighed. _I feel like so much has happened today, but it's the day is just halfway over. If it were any other day, I would probably be going home after school right now. Mama will greet me from the kitchen, and I would sit down for some snacks._

Walking a little down the hallway from the bridge, Tsuna came to the windows looking down on the north side of the building, where he hasn't seen yet. The grounds... actually look pretty normal. Except over there, near the trees. Is that- No, don't look, _don't look_.

Steadfastly pretending that the bloody lumps near the treeline do not exist, Tsuna observed the empty school grounds. The windows were closed, and Tsuna mentally thanked the person who had the foresight to do that before the stink outside seeped in and lingered on every surface until all the corridors and rooms stunk to the high heavens. He would have wished he wasn't born with a nose.

It was quiet. Very, very quiet. With the windows closed, minimal outside ambient noise reached inside, but every sound in the corridors are amplified. If Tsuna really, _really_ focused, he could hear very faint _'Extreme'_ s, probably coming from the floor below. Then there are the noises that may or may not be his imagination - of shifting movements, murmurs, and shuffling footsteps. It was like an indistinct whisper niggling at the very edge of his perceptions, the moment he tried to reach out and grasp it, it would slide further away from his fingertips, dancing just out of reach.

There was no use focusing so hard on it, so Tsuna instead tuned into the sounds surrounding him. Gathering his focus on just his own immediate surroundings, trying to find anything out of the ordinary with hearing alone, - and it was not hard since he already saw his surroundings before- it was quite fun. He would still be able to hear any movements that come from the other side of the bridge before they even come close, so he's still performing his guarding duties.

He had closed his eyes, and with no sight to rely on, building up the image of the things around him in his own head poses quite a challenge. If he just concentrates really, really hard, he could almost see the images of objects forming in his head, as shaky lines sketch out the layout, glowing against the black of his closed eyes.

He could see the lines of the tiled floor, the walls, windows... take a right and there is the bridge, the heavy metal cabinets glow especially bright... inside would be the exercise papers... and some files too, a little further down is the stacks of tables, one upon another, probably from the room Hibari cleared out... and if he looked down, there would be the ground... the trees...and those grey, mottling-

_Buzz._

Tsuna started. He looked down at the black walkie-talkie.

_"Squad 8 here, Squad 4 spotted. Squad 4 under attack. over."_

Kusakabe is on Squad 8. There are moving _corpses_ actually in the school. These could be one of those that move differently from the others-

_Crackle._

_"Staff room. One- no, two enemies! They're fast! Squad 8 going in."_

The ever-present prickling at the back of his head _exploded_ , and overwhelmingly crippling pain shot through his mind, searing, burning. Oh, the _burning_ . It felt like being eaten alive by roaring flames, melting into a bubbling pool from the inside out. He crumpled to his knees. _No! NO! N_ o _nononono_

_Click._

_"_ Kusakabe-senpai _DON'T GO_!!"

~*~~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me your responses!! Comments always makes want to write more - and who knows, maybe I'll be motivated to post more too ;DD
> 
> Chapter formats will be as follows: An arc that spans several chapters that focus on Tsuna, with excerpts from other perspectives at the beginning. They'll alternately be from a canon character and an OC. This chapter is a canon character! I think you guys can guess easily enough who it is and what happened to him.  
> Then the arc ends, and then there will be chapters that are from others' POV that does not involve Tsuna. Everything is rather spread out at the moment, but don't worry, it'll all come together slowly as the story goes on.  
> I hope some of you can stick with me through the end, even if it seems like there will be too many OCs *sobs*
> 
> I post more info on the story on my Tumblr, so if you're looking for fun facts/trivia/OC info, look for them on my blog tagged under [#dhyb](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/aeryannef)


	4. III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first death close to home. Tsuna enters Hyper Dying Will Mode. It is not the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update, as promised. I hope you'll stay with me even after this, as the rest of the story follows the same vein. You'll get it after.

**(Est. Time 2.00pm)**

Sunlight filtered through the leaves above them, bright spots dancing on the pothole-riddled dirt ground. Patches of green shoots poking out of the earth, the thin scent of unfurling greenery surrounded them. Under the dense stands of woodland, the air was cool on the skin even during late noon.

Ginshi groaned, and Rogero swore he could hear hip bones creaking with the apparent difficulty Ginshi faced taking each step. "Why does it have to be so far up the mountains?! These bones can't handle this kind of mountain climbing anymore!" He stuck his trekking pole onto the ground, using it to push himself higher up the steep slope.

Rogero hid a yawn behind his hand, bored by the crawling pace they're taking. _Ah, it couldn't be helped._ "It's built by a family of demophobics, what did you expect? Of course it would be as far from humanity as possible."

"Not that I don't want to complain, but please quiet down. You're going to draw _their_ attention all the way from down the mountain if you keep yelling like that," Ginshi's son murmured under his breath. It was supposedly directed at his father, but he was staring down at his scuffed shoes. Rogero wasn't sure what to make of the other man.

What he said did make his father lower his voice, though still grumbling loud enough for everyone present to hear. Rogero thought of what is down the mountains - and feels a sudden appreciation for the sheer landscape. His thoughts float naturally over to other important matters, but he pushed down on the edginess they bring.

His hand ghosted over the simple jewelry in his left ear, ear cuffs engraved with tiny crystals.  

"Hush now everyone, we're almost there." Sweet old Netsu. Rogero tugged at the straps of the bag slung over his shoulder and shifted the one on his left to the other hand. There was a clinking of metal.

"Shut it! I had to leave all my prize vegetables down there, you know. And I spent so much time on them..." Ginshi mourned. Rogero respects the old veteran, he does, but he figured everyone has their flaws - he has his too.

"Are my ears deceiving me, or is the fearsome _Silverado_ worried about his vegetables?" Rogero raised a teasing eyebrow.

" _Prized_ vegetables! _Prized_ , I tell you!" Ginshi blew up, and Rogero almost chuckled at how easy it was to light the short fuse.

Still staring down tiredly at his own feet, Ginshi's son stepped over a protruding tree root, mumbling, "Not that I don't want to agree with you, but we're almost there. Better keep a look out for that secret trail." Rogero had to strain his ears to hear him.

"Thank you, Shizu-kun dearie." Netsu had that lulling voice that soothes, but Rogero can only imagine what hides behind that grandmotherly demeanor. Netsu practically floated across the ground - figuratively speaking-, the craggy landscape doing nothing in hindering her. "And besides," she continued, "All of us here had been someone before, or we wouldn't have retired."

Rogero shot a winning smile at the old lady. "Got a point there. You mean we'll have all died." _Almost did too, before I realized there are things more important than the thrills of the underworld._

Netsu nodded with a serene smile. "If you want to put it that way."

"Not to put a damper on things, but I wish I did, in any case." More mumbling.

Rogero was curious, who exactly was this 'Shizu-kun' _before_? Or was he just a legacy? Though, he had never heard of him, much less seen the guy around Namimori. Ginshi had dragged him here, declaring the man as his son, and his contribution to this spontaneous trip as a pack mule.

And indeed Ginshi was carrying nothing but his trekking pole, and Netsu had simply loaded the small mountain of supplies she brought onto the guy. A gigantic pack wrapped with a blue tarp and secured with crisscrossing ropes the size of a small boulder, plus three other drawstring bags. Rogero winced at the sight of the waif of a man barely holding up under all that weight, and instead opted to carry his own supplies.

Ginshi cackled as if endlessly amused by his son's perpetual gloom, "You're different, sonny. You'll see once you reach my age. It'll be so much _worse_."

"Not to sound redundant, but yes I know, you've repeated it seventeen times in the past hour, and roughly a hundred and fifty-two times every day." Even quiet mumbling.

"What?! Did you say something?" Ginshi cupped a hand to his ear, even as he guffawed at his own line, obvious that he had heard every word.

Rogero wondered at the relationship between father and child. Ginshi was old - at least seventy if his information was correct, but Ginshi's son looked about thirty something, but Rogero would bet his family trade that the man only looked older due to his thin face and general cheerless behavior. Even then, he still looked younger than him, or maybe it was just the feeling Rogero got from the guy. Rogero himself is in his early forties, but certain very reliable sources proved that he looked a lot younger than that.

The rays of the afternoon sun was strong, but under the shade, the temperature stayed cool. If it were summer, the chirp of cicadas scattered across the mountain forests would have been deafening. Rogero liked their song fairly well, and he spent his summers growing up listening to them chirp, but the ones here are much larger than the ones back at his childhood home. Always gave him a shock when he finds a live one instead of their discarded shells.

"There it is, the secret trail!" For being the one of the eldest retiree in this town, Netsu holds more energy in her tiny form than most people he'd seen.  

Hidden behind an outcropping of jutting roots and the dense growth of evergreen bushes, a thin trail leads up higher. The huge trees acting as sentinels looked ancient, their height further throwing the trail into shadows as it curves and disappears behind the great width of another green giant _(-is that black pine? Do they grow_ this _big?)_. A thirty feet distance hadn't looked so far in a long while.

"Not to drag all of you down, but I do think I'll need a rest." A monotonous mumble. Rogero agrees, if only due to concern over a fellow hiking partner's health.

Netsu observed the trail ahead with interest. "Oh, it's alright, just leave them here for now."

Shizu _(is that his name?)_ nodded mutely, but only tugged weakly at the strings of the bags wrapped around him. They have ended up twisting and knotting together along the climb. Rogero moved to help him untie the bags off his person. _What's the point of bringing these supplies if it's just going to be left behind?_

They were very heavy. Ginshi's son was strong. " _Oofftt_ , what's in there? Bricks?"

"Something like that," Netsu called back, flapping a thin hand at him.

Ginshi's sudden cackles rang through the forest. "Aha, Netsu you old hag, knew you'd bring them!"

Shizu gave a minute pause, then resumed tugging at the other bag, muttering under his breath, "Not to be disrespectful, but you're dead now, you know."

There was a flash from the top-left corner of his peripheral, and a sharp _crack_ of splintering wood, right above the old man. "Ginshi, watch out!"

"Uh- _raaghh!!_ " Ginshi hadn't had time to look up before a leafy bough crashed down on his head.

Netsu smiled serenely, the perfect image of a loving grandmother. "Who are you calling 'old', hmm?"

Calmly clasping thin hands together, Rogero barely caught a hint of smugness in Netsu's expression."Let us get a head start, boys. It'll take him a while to heal from it, and time is slipping away."

Slight worry for Ginshi aside, Rogero supposed he was greatly amused.  "Whatever you say, Netsu."

"Not that I want to interrupt, but can we really leave him behind?" Shizu had got two of the drawstring bags untangled with minimal help from Rogero and was working on the third.

"Don't worry, if he were so easy to kill he'd have croaked ages ago!" Netsu answered as she breezed by the duo. Rogero admits that she’s right. Besides, he could already see leaves and twigs on the fallen bough shifting.

Shizu shook his head. "Not that I disagree, but-"

Rogero piped up, "Hey, I'm curious. Do you always talk like that?"

"-that man is a master at getting lost. Not that I don't like the idea, but it would be inconvenient." Shizu forged on without acknowledging his question, but turned towards him after he stopped mumbling. Silence ensued as Shizu stared at Rogero's shoes.  

“...”

Rogero scratched behind his ear, “You don’t have to tell me, if you don't feel like it.”

"...No, not really," Shizu answered, pale blue eyes flicking up to look at him for half-a-second, then hidden again behind stringy bangs. "Not that I consciously try to, but I'd hate to sound rude."

Rogero hummed. Well, let it be said that everyone has their quirks, and as long as they work well together, each to their own. He glanced to the side, up the trail where Netsu had already reached the huge pine.

_That was fast._

"I'm leaving you two behind if you keep dawdling!" Netsu looked tiny, standing on the thick, gnarly roots. They spread from the ancient pine as if they were alive, snaking their way to encircle the mountain.

Shizu twisted around, trying to free his left arm from the tangled ropes. Rogero realized that he had stopped helping, and was only standing there doing nothing. "Not that I don't want to-"

There was something in the distance. A low sound, winging its way towards them. Rogero raised a hand in the universal signal of stop. Netsu and Shizu focused their gaze on him. Well, Netsu did, Rogero wasn't quite sure if Shizu caught the hand sign.

" _Shhh_. Hear that?" Rogero whispered.

Netsu had climbed higher onto the bent boughs of the pine, head bowed, listening intently. The sound grew louder, into a faint rumbling.

Shizu's head snapped to the left, just as a bear trap snapped up right beside him, throwing dirt and dead things found on the forest floor spraying high into the air.

"Not to alarm you, but I do think that there are-"

" _TRAAAAPS!!!!_ " Ginshi shouted. He had escaped and was now sprinting _(what happened to creaky hipbones?)_ towards them as behind him, arrows shot from various unknown locations flew wild, accompanied by the familiar _twang_ of bow strings, leaving a veritable field of arrowheads jutting from the ground.

Each arrowhead carried a blinking red light. _Explosive arrows._ Rogero sucked in a deep breath, and as one he and Shizu started running like hell as the forest behind them was blown sky high.  

Ginshi caught up with them in a flash, waving the trekking pole he still had in his hand at Netsu up ahead, voice cracking as he yelled, "You _old hag_! You set off the traps! See what you've done! This is why you were called Flame-For-Brains!!!"

"Woah!" Rogero swerved to the side as another bear trap was set off, spraying dirt everywhere, obscuring his view. Even so, he didn't miss the fiery aura blooming into existence. _Uh oh._

"Netsu, please _don't-!!_ "

With an earth-shattering war cry, Netsu jumped off the high boughs she was standing on, sparking green aura trailing behind her as she crashed down like a comet.

" _Yeeeeeaaaaahhhh!!_ "

Rogero didn't look back, but he could feel another swirl of sparkling yellow burst into being, as green and yellow clashed in a blinding, brilliant flash, the backlash sending up a huge cloud of dust. Now that, was something even more terrifying than the dangerous minefield and bear traps combined.

Rogero pumped his arms and legs, climbing past the ancient pine, leaping from one foothold to another on the craggy slope. Branches whipped at his clothes, and he almost got slapped by one in the face. Shizu wasn't so lucky - he heard a crash behind him.

The faint rumbling was growing even louder, Rogero could feel it from the ground.

"Incoming!" Weirdly, the warning came from high above him.

Rogero risked a backward glance. Further down the clashing and separating auras of red and yellow showed no sign of stopping amidst the rain of exploding arrows. If it were any other situation he would have stopped to gape at a fight between two legends, but... Shizu had disappeared. Rogero looked up.

Drawstring bag hooked around a leg and caught in a bear trap, Shizu was hanging upside-down, spinning and swinging to and fro high amongst the tree branches.  His upper torso was weighted down by the small boulder of wrapped supplies still tied to him. He looked like a swinging pendulum, swaying back and forth, and distantly Rogero wondered if he would ever stop.

"Shizu! Are you alright?" he called.

Rogero couldn't catch the man's expression as he swung haphazardly from the branches, but he saw Shizu trying to point at something behind him.

There was a deafening _boom_ followed by the crashes of massive force thundering to the ground. The trembling of the ground intensified. Face blank, Rogero turned and tipped his head upwards.

A ten-feet high wall of water crashed down the mountain slopes, a hungry monster devouring swathes of earth and rocks, sweeping up dirt and debris as it went, the raging torrents hurtling them forward as deadly missiles.  

Heading straight towards Rogero and everyone else.

_Bloody Hibari and their bloody territories._

~* _~~*~_

**(Est. Time 3.30pm)**

"Kusakabe-senpai DON'T GO!!"

_NO! STOP! DON'T!!! Please! Please don't go!_

Tsuna cradled the transmitter desperately in his hands. Colorful spots danced across his vision, and he felt faint from the all-encompassing pain shooting through his body.

There's no response.

_Why is there no response?!_

_Click._

_"_ Kusakabe-senpai?! Kusakabe-senpai please answer!"

He could feel the tiled floor warmed by the sun’s rays through his slacks as he knelt on the floor. _Please answer, please please._

 _Crackle._ Tsuna’s hopes raised.

_"Don't worry Sawada, we'll handle this."_

_No you can't! YOU WON'T!!_

Tsuna wanted to scream into the walkie-talkie, but he was trembling too much to do anything. He didn’t even notice the clatter of the walkie-talkie slipping onto the floor from his hands. _It hurts, oh Kami it hurts!_

"Tsuna-kun!"

"Tsuna-san!"

Cool hands held onto his arms, pulling him up. They felt comparatively _icy_ to the blazing inferno he feels inside.

"What happened? We heard you shouting and-"

"Kusakabe-senpai and his team. He- I need to go help. I _need to_ . I _must._ If not-If not…" Tsuna was aware that he was babbling nonsense at this point, but the feeling of _wrongness_ that threatened to drown him had changed; and instead he was swamped by the severe need to _immediately, at once, right this instant_ go to where Kusakabe is.

There were still hands on him, still holding him up despite his uncooperative legs. Tsuna felt as if he was in a state of limbo; he is _here,_ but he needs to be somewhere _else_ , and some part of him is already gone. He's here but not, he can't explain- his tongue wouldn't work, and the inferno of heat and hungry licks of fire is still there, still inside, struggling to get _out._ There's a calmness that's settling like a haze over him, and instead of blurring, his senses instead sharpen so much  everything is thrown off-kilter, in that three degrees off of normal way he can't- _couldn't_ explain.

Tsuna looked up into eyes of amber and ebony, imploring them to just _understand_.

" _Please_."

Ebony stared intently at him, and something flickerd within them. A second, then two, and he can't wait anymore, he must go _now_ -

Hands let go of him.

"Go."

Amber, worried but accepting, was the last thing he saw before Tsuna jumped right out the third-floor window.  

~*~~*~

**(Est. Time 3.29pm)**

"Argh! They're strong! We have to retreat!" Shinji cried, urging Akabo to run.

"But the files-" Akabo protested stubbornly, cut off when the corpse leaped at him from across the table. He dodged with something of a wobbly spin, barely avoiding the gnarled fingers.

_Damn it!_

"Forget the files! You want to get trapped in here?!" pushing off the large desk, Shinji did a flip that brought him neatly out of range, but that his pompadour barely escaped unscathed.

"No, we can down this one together! We can't let it get away!" Akabo insisted.

_What if it harms other people?!_

"This one is _way_ faster than the ones we fought, and just now we had five people helping! The office is too small, we need to get out!" Shinji was right, as he always is. Akabo didn't want to disappoint Kaicho, but… Shinji is the smarter one here, he's known that ever since they were kids, he knows it like he knows his own name.

"Shin!" A look. A nod.

_Let's go._

"Go!" Shinji jumped down from the bookshelf where he was clinging to like a monkey, joining Akabo in a dead sprint out of the Vice-Principal's office and into the general staff room.

Before they could reach the entrance, there was a low growl from the other side, and both dived out of the way of a death-by-mauling-tackle in the nick of time.

_Wha-?!_

Rolling to their feet, Akabo saw Shinji's loss of his black gakuran, caught in the fingers of the undead. It ripped the jacket to shreds in a matter of seconds. Those fingernails were razor sharp.

_They could tear through me like I'm made of paper!_

"There's another one!" he despaired. Shinji launched a kick at its shins, momentarily pushing it off balance. Even though he wasn't as strong, Akabo could still _see_ the unnatural way the dead flesh gave way under the sole of Shinji's black pleather shoe.

_They're dead. Dead. Will I be like that- No!_

"At least we got out of there, " Shinji panted, and Akabo could just imagine if they got caught in the small space of the office with not just one, but _two_ of this- this _mutated_ human corpse.

 _I will_ always _listen to Shin from now on._

They jumped over tables instead of circling around them, practically flying across the room.

_Go go go go go!_

"We have to tell Tetsuya-sempai or Ito about this! Quick, we have to lose them!" Shinji pointed to the large wooden shelves beside the entrance. "You go first, I'll hold them back!"

_And leave you here?_

"No way!"

_We do everything together! This ain't going to be any different!_

Akabo knew what Shinji was thinking, and it was a great idea, but they don't know if Shinji would make it in time. He shook his head, sweat dripping down the side of his face, strands of black hair flying loose. "Don't be stupid, we'll do this one way - together or not at all!"

Shinji didn't protest, just gave a wry quirk of his lips, too busy flipping himself up the shelves. "You're too stubborn, Akabo."

_You know me too well._

"Just the way I like to be," Akabo grunted humorlessly, braced a leg on the wall, back to the shelves and heaved with all his might. Shinji did the opposite, crouching legs braced against the top of the first shelf and back pushing off the wall.

The shelf wobbled, but didn't topple. The undead from the office lumbered out, head immediately swiveling around to face Akabo. Honing in on him like a shark scenting blood.

_It's like looking death in the eye._

"It's- not- working!!" Shinji shouted.

_I don't want to die._

"Together, on three!" Akabo barked.

The undead Shinji kicked down had stood up again, back slightly hunched, milky eyes boring into Akabo who was the only one at ground level. It used to be a woman, simple blouse and a pleated skirt, maybe even a mother, hair styled in a side-ponytail; but its mouth was twisted wide open, receding gums baring rows of teeth as it started sprinting - not even walked, but _sprinting_ straight at him as if to swallow him whole, and Akabo cannot see anything other than a monster from the deepest, darkest pits of hell.

_I don't want to die. I can't die here._

"One, two, _THR-!!_ " Akabo bit out as he threw all his weight behind him, gritting his teeth so hard he could hear them grinding loud in his ears. The shelf started to tilt, pushing the other one next to it, and another one next to that. _Just a little, just a little more- We'll escape, we will, we will we willwewill_

A rushed pattering of soles slapping against tiled floor came from the entrance. "Shinji, Akabo!"

Akabo lit up as if he was graced by the world's savior. He turned, and there they were. Kusakabe stood in the doorway, together with Aoi and Kusaryu, both superb fighters. _We're saved, Shin! We won't die now! We won't be eaten!_

"Aoi! Tetsuya-senpai!" Akabo suddenly felt so weightless in relief his knees went a little shaky, his vision a little wobbly. _We're safe now, Shin!_

He didn't see their faces morphing into abject horror.

" _AKABO!!!!_ "

From the corner of his eyes, he could see gnarled fingers reaching around from behind, fingernails curling in as if about to dig into his face. There was a prickling at his back, a feeling of something sharp pressing in. He turned-

-too late.

~*~~*~

Shinji _freaked_ , and in a last desperate push, the shelves finally toppled like oversized domino cards, and him with them. Only one mutated corpse was caught underneath, the one that followed from the office, and it was squashed into meat paste. The other one-

_"No!"_

_"Akabo!!"_

_"Hirai-senpai!!"_

No one moved. In that first few, precious seconds, they were all frozen. Akabo stayed suspended, the hand through his chest keeping him upright, meaty chunks ( _is that his heart-)_ gripped between razor sharp fingers dripping crimson red down onto the white tiles. Akabo is the first Disciplinary Committee causality that anyone here knew of. Kusakabe could feel the spray of something wet and warm on his face. He only had time to think _he could have made it. He should have. Akabo could have lived_ before the gnarled hand _tore_ , and the subject of his thoughts fell to the ground, a hole in his chest, throat torn out and bloody. His glee at seeing them still frozen on his face.

" _Akabo!!!!_ " Shinji threw himself at the corpse- no, _monster_ that was devouring Akabo's flesh _\- his neck, his heart-_ but Aoi was faster, and with a vicious uppercut swing of a steel hanbō fueled by absolute murderous _rage_ , its jaw completely shattered under the force. Blood, bone fragments and gory liquid splattered everywhere, including the ceiling.

Shinji didn't care about the undead at that point, he skidded to his knees, moving to cradle the shoulders of his fallen friend, but a hand pulled him back. "Shinji, don’t!"

He struggled. "Let me go! Akabo! Akabo, he- _he's my best friend!_ He's still _-_ he is still-”

Kusakabe pulled Shinji away from the… from Akabo. His _heart_ was torn out. He had a massive hole at the side of his neck. _He wasn’t moving_ . There was no chance of survival. Kusaryu stepped up to help him restrain Shinji, leaving Aoi to rent out all their rage, their helplessness; at not arriving faster, not being here on time, not being able to save Akabo, not being able to _do_ anything, not being here at the _right time-_

Enraged screams accompanied the sounds of blunt object impacting with flesh, and Kusakabe left Aoi to clean up. She knows what to do. Right now his concerns lie with Shinji and his increasingly maddened struggles to get to Akabo.

Kami, _Akabo_.

Kusaryu’s just a new recruit, he hasn’t had enough experience, and Aoi is too angry, too consumed with heart-wrenching _wrath_ to realize it yet, but he knew. Kusakabe can see the big picture in any scenario, and is a strategic genius - he _knows_.

_I called out, he turned, he lost focus. If I hadn't…_

Akabo should have lived.

Aoi will take care of it. Rent it all out on the monster that did this, blame it all on the _thing_ that snatched their friend from right under their noses _(he was_ so _close, just one second faster, one second slower, Akabo would have been safe, and_ alive _)_ , Aoi will lash down on the monster that did this, that tore away a dear comrade,  friend - _eaten_ him-, beat it down until it’s nothing more than a wretched thing waiting to be put down, and all the while Kusakabe would pray that she won't notice just how wretched _he_ feels.

Kusakabe and Kusaryu held fast against Shinji's struggles, lips pressed so tight they were white, but none of them look away. It was not the bloodiest sight any of them has seen, not after this morning, but Akabo is still wearing his black gakuran, the red Disciplinary Committee armband, his white undershirt completely dyed red, crimson lifeblood still being pumped out of the hole in his chest. The torn out part at the junction between throat and shoulder was a complete mess. It was instant. There is no going back.

And they all clearly knew what came next.

Akabo's complexion had turned waxen in a matter of seconds. Bloodless.

"Let _go!_ I- Akabo is- _Akabo-!_ "

“Shinji, _calm down_! Shinji listen to me-”

Akabo’s body twitched.

"Aka..bo…?"

Kusakabe checked the eyes of Hirai Akabo, and as he feared, the dark brown of the iris is fading into an unnatural white. Akabo was a loyal subordinate, a good friend, and to lose him this way, he felt something clench inside.

Killing all those others this morning was nothing compared to this. They were _enemies_ , the Disciplinary Committee looks after the peace, and _enemies_ cannot be allowed to run free in their territory. _This,_ this is not so simple as eliminating invaders that are already dead anyway.

He is sure there is a complicated reason to explain why, but right now Kusakabe can only tell that _this_ _isn’t the same_ , and something is growing inside in response to what he was feeling. It was ugly, and it stained like black sludge.

"Kusaryu, hold him tight. Shinji- don't look, " he tried to maneuver Shinji to face the other way, but he wouldn't be budged. Shinji knew what is going to happen.

"No. No, _no_ ! Akabo, no- you _can't!! You_ -" Shinji was hysterical.

Akabo's body started moving on its own; something was writhing underneath his skin, and as it stretched tighter across bones, blots of discoloration faded into view. All throughout there was a wet, squelching sound of quickly rotting flesh that brought shivers down his spine.

Kusakabe blanched. "Turn away! Kusaryu, turn him _away!_ "

"Fujita-senpai, _please_ , don't look-"

" _Aka_ -"

The last smile on Akabo's face now looked like a sardonic grin on a skull. The corpse arched off the ground in a half lurch.

" _Shit!_ Get away-" Kusakabe reached for the collapsible baton at his waist. Flipping it out, he stepped up to Akabo’s convulsing form, but Shinji immediately lunged to block his way.

“ _NO!_ No, you _can’t_ , he’s Akabo! He’s _Akabo_!”

Kusaryu grappled at Shinji’s arms, trying in vain to hold him back. "Senpai- _!!_ "

His palms felt clammy on the slick surface of the blunt weapon. Kusakabe swallowed hard. “Stay back, Shinji! I know! _I know_! But stay back!”

“ _No_ ! Please Tetsuya! You know Akabo! You know him!! You _can’t_!”

“It’s _not_ him anymore, he’s already- he’s changing! I have to stop him!” Sweat trickled down the back of his neck. Kusakabe thought it fitting. He was the one that killed Akabo, he _knew_. He should be the one to finish it.

There was a deep, strangled moan from the torn throat. Milky eyes stared up at Kusakabe, head tilting awkwardly.

“Look. _Away!!_ ”

“No! _I won’t let you!_ No-”

“THEN **_YOU_** \- ”

Someone grabbed his shoulder in a firm hold.

"Step back."  

The hand squeezed hard, just this side of scalding. Kusakabe was pushed back steadily.

" _What_ is- Sawa- _??!_ "

The boy in front of him crouched down close to Akabo’s body, unhesitatingly placing a hand on his forehead. There was a bright flash, and for a brief moment in time, the world became an inferno of swirling _yellow red orange_.

Kusakabe felt as if he was drowning and floating, and every shade between burning and warmth. Something in him _hummed_ in response, eager and delighted. Wanting _out_ , tugging him towards the center of dancing flames.

The blindingly bright light died down, and Kusakabe blinked.

Sawada Tsunayoshi stood up and moved away. On the floor, Akabo's body was still and silent with no sign of further decay.

_~*~~*~_

Aoi rained down furious blows onto the now smashed torso of the undead that dared harm ( _kill, it killed- he's dead deaddeaddead_ ) Akabo again and again with her hanbō, but the stupid _corpse_ kept up its mindless struggle, trying to stand up once again.

So Aoi made sure that there's _no torso_ for it to move.

Now working diligently away at the legs, she makes sure that every bone from the toes are broken in at least four different places and fractured _just right_ , then going at separating the limbs from the wriggling body blunt blow by blunt blow, through the flesh centimeter by centimeter.

Shinji's unceasing pleads to go to Akabo timed with every blow, spurring them on. Distantly, Aoi feels grateful that Kusakabe let her have this chance, gave her the reigns to dish out what she saw was fitting _punishment_. She did learn a lot from Kaicho, after all. Akabo… she pushed the thought aside. This is time for vengeance. She will leave other thoughts for later. After.

Aoi is careful to leave the head intact, as much as she wants to, she knows that _this_ , the rights for something like this still belongs to Shinji. They were the best of friends, Fujita Shinji and Hirai Akabo, and they probably knew each other from birth; inseparable, in that seeing one means you find the other. There's a strong bond there, that you just can't break. Aoi knows, she tried.

With a final grotesque _crunch_ that sounded like music to her ears, Aoi almost sighed in satisfaction, but the lack of splattering, bright red blood pooling from the mess of lacerations made the dark feeling inside her bubble up once more, so Aoi moved on to the grasping hands.

Milky eyes on a sunken face bored into her, hungry for her flesh, desperate to suck out her soul. A hand swiped at Aoi, and she let it come. When the fingers, nails still bloody ( _Akabo's blood, it was running in Akabo's veins a minute ago),_ came within inches to her own throat, she smacked it down bone-breakingly hard with her hanbō.

The other one came poised to scratch out half of her face, but she was faster, and that one bent down with an audible _crack_ in the wrong direction. They keep coming up to attack her still, just slower and slower. Every time a hand came near, she would find the best angle to hit it down while making sure the bone was only fractured, and not yet broken. It was slow-going, and not as fun as smashing in the torso, but she wanted to drag this out more.

There was a croaking moan coming from deep in the throat of the undead, it's mess of a jaw useless and shattered beyond recognition. Behind her, Shinji's pleas were abruptly silenced.

Aoi turned to look as another clumsy swipe came from a shattered arm, but she batted it away dismissively. She barely got a glance at what was happening before a blinding bright light erupted into being, the color of a burning bonfire. Warmth washed through her; something inside whispered _here, here is home,_ but the next thing she knew she was hauled up and away from her half-crouch over the undead, easy as you please, and thrown into Kusaryu and Shinji.

_What- Who dares?_

"Stop that," the person- student who had suddenly appeared spoke in a smooth, low voice. That was the first thing Aoi noticed. The second was that there was _fire_ in his eyes. "She can kill you with one scratch."

He turned, looking down at the pitiful state her prey was in, and then his hands, his arms, his _forehead_ , burst into **_flames_**.

There was a brief flare, fiery and all-encompassing, throwing everything else into flickering shadows, followed by a resounding _crunch,_ and brains were spilling as the flames roared and swallowed up everyone in its fiery embrace. Aoi feels licks of fire spreading across her skin and clothes, but it doesn't burn. It was simply… warm, from the inside out. Something in her screamed and _yearned_ , but she willed herself to stay still.

Then everything came to an abrupt halt, no more fire, no more blood, the staff room entirely clean with no sign of any corpses.

Aoi knows she will not forget this - of a boy swathed in flames with fire for eyes, heat waves rolling off his very skin, and the smell of burning flesh; all seared into her memory.

~*~~*~

Tsuna moved as if he were in a dream. His own movements felt foreign, yet he knew, _knew_ with absolute clarity that it was him. _He_ was the one in control, nothing else. No one else. It was as if his body were a puppet, but _Tsuna_ was the one to pull the strings. His mind belongs to him, and him alone. _The mind controls the body_.  

Everything was amplified - the colors, the scents, the sounds, the feel of _everything_. It was as if he had always lived blindfolded, ear-muffed, and touched everything through mitten gloves. Muted.

And now all those obscuring his senses have fallen away all at once. He felt overwhelmed. He felt at peace. It was conflicting, but he only focused on what he is doing, what needs to be done.

He felt the wind whip through his hair, at his face, as he plummeted down from the third floor. A single thought sparked in his mind, and orange flames erupted around his feet. He landed light as a feather, immediately shooting off.

_Is this me?_

He knew where to go.

_Is this... what I can do?_

He knew exactly what is going to happen.

_Stop this. I have to stop this._

He knows that he cannot, will not, let it happen.

When he reached the scene, Tsuna immediately focused on the convulsing body on the floor. Everything else fell away - he was still aware, but it wasn't what he was here for. He could _see._ There were something in the reanimating body, thrashing against each other, fighting - for dominance. One that sparks a forest green, and one that is a mottled grey. The green was quickly being overwhelmed by the grey.

 _Do it do it you must you must_ **_harmonize_ **

He reached out, even when he felt like recoiling from the grey aura. He _pushed_ that warm, burning feeling in him outwards, and watched as orange Flames unfurled in the palm of his hand. The green sparks jump to attention, perking up to greet his Flames with a heady rush.

_Is that you? Akabo?_

He coaxed it up, _up_ , flaring higher and higher, feeding it more energy from the deep well inside him. Together, they pushed down the grey, shepherding the stray tendrils together, pushing it _out._ Green sparks rushed through the entire body, and his own orange Flames provided the energy, more, more, _more._ The dark grey aura was cornered at the wound entries, and with a final _shove_ , it was expelled into the outside world.

Before the grey aura could escape, he wrapped it up in his fire. It tried to eat away at his Flames, and he let it, steadily feeding the hungry aura. Until it was too _hot,_ too _warm_ , until the grey lightened, and turned into a miniature explosion of white sparks, scattering and disappearing into oblivion.  

Intense concentration easing, Tsuna held back a sigh. His senses were still going off, warning him.

_The other one._

He stepped over, single minded in his need to eliminate the perceived danger. This one was _dangerous_ , not in what it can do, but what it _will would could_ do.

_No. I’ll stop you. I’m stopping this._

Flames gathered and traveled up his arms; at his feet tongues of fire exploded into being. He could feel it now, a slowly expanding emptiness at his core.

_Careful slowly be careful_

Strength surged through his arm, and he swung - cracking the skull open with a single blow.

_Too much far more burn away_

His Flames swirled around him, restless, seemingly endless. Elated to be _freefreefree_

In this state, Tsuna couldn't hold back the Flames _\- energy_ \- pouring out, and instead of absorbing them back within himself, he let them run free, run wild. He felt so _alive_ and **_free_** that he didn't want to stop. The grey mottling auras in the room tried to absorb them, but they simply _burned_. Tsuna directed the excess Flames, burning away at every shred of darkness he could feel.

_Safe. Keep everyone safe._

There was another sharp tug at the back of his mind. A possible danger. _It's not yet over. Not yet._

Tsuna sucked in a breath, and Flames _swooshed_ as they disappeared back into his core.

He looked up at Kusakabe and the others present, "We should go back."

"Sawada-san..."

An older boy shouted at him, "Y-you, what did you do to Akabo?!"

Tsuna knelt down beside the body, swiping a hand over his face, closing the glassy brown eyes.

"...He's resting, now. Don't worry."

Tsuna stood up. The tingling at the back of his mind growing stronger with each passing second.

Kusakabe asked, "What did you _do_?"

_There is a voice at the back of my head. I have this fire in me._

Looking down at hands, he answered, "It's hard to explain. Later."

The tingles become nudges. _Danger danger go now_

"We have to go, right now." He turned.

"Hey, wait-"

Tsuna saw the hand coming a mile away. He side-stepped, and continued striding down the hallway.

"There's one more," Tsuna breathed, barely audible.

Behind him, there was a bewildered, "What?"

~*~~*~

**(Est. Time 3.37pm)**

Dragging the bottom of her boots on the floor, Aoi tried to clean the underside. Every other gory thing had been burnt away - no more specks of flesh and bones everywhere -, but she still had them stuck in the soles of her shoes. Kusakabe dragged a hand over the side of his face, and his palm came clean. No more blood, too.

"That's him, right? Dame-Tsuna? I saw him fight his way in just now, but..." Aoi frowned at the others. "I'm not the only one who saw the fire, am I?"

Mutely, Kusakabe shook his head. He spied the hallway Tsuna disappeared down, biting down on an imaginary stalk of twig leaf.

"He's- different."

Aoi looked like she wanted to ask him to elaborate his vague answer, but changed her mind, "Let's just go already."

Kusaryu piped up, "Wait! Fujita-senpai, what were you here for?"

"A-ah. The files. We were looking for the files on the students and faculty in the vice-principal's room." Shinji had calmed down, or maybe his system was finally crashing as adrenaline ran its course. He was quiet, in the way he spoke, moved, and the way he breathed, gaze hovering over the form of his best friend.

"I'll go get it!"

Kusakabe let Kusaryu go. He instead knelt down beside Shinji, voice pitched low to sound soothing, "Come on. I'll help you carry Akabo, we'll go together."

"...Alright."

Kusakabe looked around the staff room, heading towards the small closet holding the cleaning supplies. He took out two brooms, twisting off the top until he only held the two long sticks. Taking off his jacket, Kusakabe started inverting the sleeves, "Aoi, I need another jacket."

Shrugging off her gakuran, Aoi threw it to Shinji. When Kusakabe held up a hand for it, Shinji passed him the black jacket wordlessly.

Accepting the article equally silently, Kusakabe made quick work of constructing a makeshift stretcher. He placed it next to Akabo, and with Shinji’s help the both of them carefully moved the body onto the stretcher. Going to the other end, they gently lifted the stretcher at an unanimous count of three.

Kusaryu came back from the office, a heavy stack of files in hand. Aoi cuffed him atop the head lightly, and searched for a box to place all the files into. Kusakabe walked backwards slowly, steps carefully measured. Akabo is a dead weight between him and Shinji, but his death weighs even heavier in his chest. All of them was strangely subdued, and as Aoi and Kusaryu stepped into place on Akabo's left and right, Kusakabe thought they closely resemble a solemn procession.

They made no noise, moving through the empty hallways, keeping an eye out for danger, staying alert. This is no time for grieving. As the Disciplinary Committee they have a job to do, and to do it they must convey a strong front, show no weakness… or at the very least, not acknowledge them.

Kusakabe could pretend that there isn't a set of trembling shoulders in front of him, or that those salty droplets is just sweat. He could say nothing, and indeed he has no words to say. But for now... Kusakabe supposed he could walk just a little slower.

As they passed through yet another empty classroom, there was a soft, whispered, "I'm sorry, Tetsuya-senpai."

Kusakabe only gave a minute tilt of his head.

He knew he almost blew his temper. Almost said words that are unforgivable. _What I wouldn't give for a leaf twig to chew on right now._

Kusakabe looked down at Akabo... His eyes were closed, there were four thin line of red on the left side of his face stretching down to his neck, made by sharp fingernails. The other side... mangled. And his chest... His pallor was still an ugly pattern of blotches on too pale skin. A minute ago, Kusakabe thought he would have to bash his friend's head in. Now... now he would have to bury his friend. Or cremate him. He'll have to ask Shinji, later.

A thought occurred to him. "Wait, slow down." The others halted their steps, Aoi looking at him curiously.

"What is it, Kusakabe?"

"Sorry Shinji, can you balance this a little..." Taking one hand off the stretcher, he pawed at his pockets, digging out their squad's walkie-talkie, and tossing it to Aoi.

Aoi snatched it out of the air, giving the small transceiver a loaded look.

He could hear Kusaryu gulp.

_What if something happened to the others?!_

He could feel Shinji's trembling grip on the supporting poles.  

_Click._

_"Squad 8 and 4, report five. Report five. over."_

_...._

_"Squad 5 and 1. Squad 1 encountered an enemy at badminton courts. Saved by Kaicho. Kaicho is here with us. Heading back to base. over."_

_..._

_"Squad 6 and 2, Squad 7 and 3. Heading back to base. Roger."_

_..._

Everyone was accounted for, and from sounds of it no one else was hurt. His subordinates aren't stupid enough to discount any significant injuries, and the only enemy they came up against faced Hibari. Kusakabe sighed in relief.

_Click._

"Kaguya, how many times do I have to tell you? 'Roger' isn't used like that!"

"Aoi, I think you could let Kaguya off the hook-"

_Buzz._

_"This is Kurokawa Hana, from base. We're facing one of those things right now. over."_

Something heavy lurched in his chest.

_Buzz._

_"But it's okay, all the tables blocking the way is working fine. Right, Maemi-chan?"_

A softer voice, also a female. Cheery, and certainly didn't sound like she was in any danger.

_Buzz._

_"-imme that! No, I want to say something too, you had your turn already! This is Mochida Kensuke, I'm going to beat ass real quick, no need to hurry back. over!"_

_Buzz._

_"Ignore that monkey please."_

"..."

Any tension that had rose up within him dissipated before it could evolve into anything else. Kusakabe sighed again, this time at the absurdity of it all. Kusaryu looked mildly weirded out, and Shinji had an unreadable expression on his face, but had relaxed his grip on the stretcher.

"At least we know there are others guarding the base."

An image of blazing swirls of flame popped into his mind. _And I'm not the one having to deal with it._

He sighed again, while Aoi burst into cackling laughter. "I _like_ them!"

_Click._

_Squad 8 and 4, Roger that. over."_

~*~~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was talking about the abundance of OCs at the beginning note. As you can see, this author is a Big SoftieTM, and cannot bear to kill off Kusakabe. So someone else gets the short straw. It was supposed to be Shinji, but to my absolute surprise, he survived!!  
> Another four OCs introduced this chapter... eight if you include the excerpt at the top. 
> 
> *Sigh*
> 
> I'll do the OC character aesthetics slowly, but they will get done. And maybe dd a list too. Find them [here](https://aeryannef.tumblr.com/search/dhyb)


	5. IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsuna is confronted with answers he doesn't understand, and questions he can't answer. No one dies, but where there are many corpses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The conversation kinda got away from me there...

She found the baby crying on the side of the road.

She just turned down the road leading straight to school when she got a phone call from her dad, asking her to come home. He said _immediately, young lady!_ and of course she couldn't disobey her dad when he used that tone. Her dad never used that tone, unless it was very, very urgent.

But then she found the baby crying on the side of the road. He -it was a cute baby boy!- was wearing a cute green shirt with a stripe of blue across the middle, soft cotton pajama pants, and bright blue slippers. She couldn’t abandon the baby! He must feel so cold and lonely! She is not that kind of horrible person that leaves babies crying at the side of the road. Who even does that? She will help this lost baby find his way home again!

It wasn’t as easy as she thought it would be, though. The precious baby wouldn’t stop crying. She tried talking softly, asking where the baby’s mummy is. There was only more crying. She tried making faces, waving the colorful stickers she had in her bag in front of the baby, and singing a nursery song. The baby tried to slap the stickers out of her hand, and turned his back on her when she started singing. Nothing worked, the baby kept on sobbing, his cries getting muffled with snot and uncontrollable hiccups.

She was distressed. She tried to give the baby a hug, but small sticky hands pushed her away, and when she tried again the baby tried to run away.

“Wait, cute baby! Please let me help you!”

It was a short chase, as the baby stopped at the junction of the road. His little face was scrunched up, flushed pudgy cheeks puffed out as he looked left and right, sniffling. She thinks that the baby would maybe know his way home, but after a few indecisive seconds, the baby started tearing up again.

“Oh, poor baby. _Shhh_ , don’t cry, I’ll help you get home!”

The sun was slowly rising in the sky, she has to get home soon, or her dad will ground her. But babies are the purest and most precious beings in the world - she had to help no matter what.

Then a car drove around the bend, slowing down when it passed her. She didn’t notice that it had stopped at the side of the road a little ways ahead until a woman crouched down beside her.

“Hello, what’s your name? Is this your younger sibling?”

She was startled, but the woman had a beatific smile that screamed openness, and she looked like the kind of person that would be kind to babies. She liked this woman instantly.

“This baby needs help! He’s not my younger brother, I just found him crying here, and I don’t know how to get him home!”

The kind woman cocked her head to the side, the sweep of caramel bangs partly covering her face made her look even more gentle. “Go home? You don’t really believe the radio did do you? Oh, where’s your family?”

Reminded of her dad, she flipped open her cell phone and was aghast. She should have been home half an hour ago! Her dad must be so angry. Good thing he hadn’t called to scold her. She checked – and there were no missed calls.

“I’m supposed to go home right now! But the baby…”

The kind woman gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Ah, that’s not a problem, I’ll take care of him,” reaching out a hand to pat the baby’s head, the woman continued, “I’ll be sure to find his family. You better get back to yours.”

She felt so relieved! And the baby had finally stopped crying, only looking up at the two of them with wide, brown eyes, rubbing at his red puffy eyes adorably. He even let the kind woman pat his cute curls! She thought this woman was good with babies at first glance, and she was right.

There was a honk of a car, and a guy leaned out of a rolled down car window, shouting behind at them, “Misaki, get in the car! We don’t have time to waste!”

The woman, Misaki, called back, “A second, Itsu-kun!” and turned back to her, “Go on – go back home. He’ll be alright.” Misaki lightly patted the baby boy’s back.

It was like a balloon was filling up inside her heart, she felt like she could burst, “Thank you! Thank you so much, you are so kind!”

Misaki tucked her long hair behind her ear,  “Oh, no worries. Go on now, shoo. Get home safe.”

She bowed and skipped away. But she stopped and turned back to Misaki, who had miraculously coaxed the baby into her arms! She almost cooed, it was just so precious.

“Misaki-san, promise you and the baby will be safe too?”

The woman cuddled the baby close, bouncing him a little. She smiled mischievously, “Of course, I promise. What’s your name, miss?”

She beamed. “My nam-“

An ear-splitting horn sounded, making both of them jump. The baby whimpered into the woman’s neck.

“MISAKI! I see them! Come on!”

She didn’t know what they were talking about, but Misaki’s eyes slid to the side and widened comically at something behind her. She turned around.

Four, five, six… nine, ten, no- more than ten people were coming up the street. But they were… a little odd. Her first thought was that they were wearing costumes. She hadn’t got a chance to look closer, before Misaki tugged at her arm, dragging her towards the car in a sprint.

“Wha-?”

“Get away! Run, faster.”

“Wha-wait! I have to go home, why-?!”

Misaki opened the back car door and stuffed her inside. She was squeezed beside loads of things haphazardly thrown onto the back seat – piles of clothes, towels, packaged biscuits, a plushie, bottles of cooking oil, a TV remote and a cutting board amongst other stuff. She pulled out a tube of toothpaste she was sitting on before the baby was plopped onto her lap, and the car door slammed shut with a _bang_.

There was a man sitting in the driver’s seat, fingers tapping impatiently on the steering wheel, gaze flickering from the mirror to eye her and the baby with narrowed eyes. She immediately disliked this man.

Misaki threw herself into the car, and the next second the engine revved, and they shot off, rubber screeching against asphalt, slamming her into the back of her cushioned seat. She curled her arms around the baby and held him close, confused on what was happening. At least the baby seemed to enjoy the unasked for joyride, trying to scoot closer to the front, grubby hands grabbing at the front seat.

She tried to look into the car’s side mirrors, but saw nothing. Twisting her head around, she barely caught the sight of more than thirty people crowded on the street behind her when the car lurched as if it hit a high bump, and there was a screech of metal, a _whack_ from the front, and dull _thuds_ across the car roof before a _limp human body_ rolled down the back windshield right before her eyes.

Covering the baby with her own torso, she _screamed_.

“Misaki, shut her up!”

“Shh, don’t yell Itsu-kun.”

“Tell her to shut it! She’s yours!”

“Now stop blaming me for Teddy. I wasn’t the one that lost him.”

“Teddy was _mine_ , and a damn _good_ dog! He wouldn’t have run off on his own!”

Misaki turned around in her seat, giving her a placating smile, “Sweetie it’s fine, you can calm down, it’s fine.”

_It’s not fine at all! What have I done? I have let the baby and I be abducted by a heartless man that run people over with their car! And the heartless man has forced the kind Misaki to work for him! I must save all of us!_

She kept screaming and screaming, until she was jerked to the side when the car did a hair-raisingly sharp turn around a corner, and she tumbled down with everything else, ending up buried under the pile of clothes, blankets, and other stuff.

Then she was too busy digging herself out , and protecting a giggling and laughing baby to scream anymore.

~*~~*~

**(Est. Time 3.40pm)**

Tsuna rounded the corner, and there it was. Another mutilated being, clawing away at metal and wood, trying to get to all the people on the other side. The people he sworn to protect. All those frightened, terrified people - those precious people ( _Mama, Kyoko, Hana, Ryohei_ )-, and something in him whispered _Family_ , bu t he was already closing in just as the moving corpse _(once-human, once-a-man, rotting flames)_ turned his bloodied face towards him.

Tsuna grabbed hold of an arm and head full of matted hair, spinning on his heels, he _pulled_ , swinging the body around and slamming it face first into the concrete wall.

It was far from enough to stun the twitching corpse. The corpse was a man wearing hospital scrubs, but it was splattered in darkish-red, already drying on the soft-green material.

Besides the coppery stains, the man looked relatively normal, except for the one eye missing from its socket and his bloody face. He struggled, pulling and twisting limbs in ways that they should _never_ be able to do while alive, desperate to get to soft flesh. Flames roar alive under Tsuna's skin, yearning to get out and _burn_.

There was screaming far away, but he didn't pay them any heed.

_Protect keep safe careful slowly do it_

Tsuna let go of the undead’s hair, grabbing the other arm instead, locking both of its hands together before he dragged the moaning and howling body down the corridor, physically throwing the dead weight around the corner.

He felt that - _painful not painful warm home_ \- warmth surging through his body, bursting into existence in the palm of his hands as his vision was thrown into a fiery halo. The once-man was still on its side on the ground, knees and limbs bending awkwardly to pull himself up, like a marionette with mis-attached strings.

Tsuna raised a hand, pulled back as far as he could, building up momentum like a tendon in his arm pulled taut. He could feel the fire gathering inside, and as he swung his fist, it surged forth with deadly force, breaking skin and smashing through the cranium, splattering grey-black gore on the wall behind.

There were sounds of metal clanging and being moved from around the corner. Flame-orange eyes narrowed, he drew more fire into his hands as the hollow feeling in his chest expanded. The energy flowing slowly into his hands sapped, and it was a sluggish river compared to the tidal wave of an ocean that crashed through his body from before.

Orange Flames surrounded the mottled grey of the decomposing body, feeding it until it consumes itself into oblivion, burning away all the rotted remains.

_Slowly Safe safe everyone is safe now careful rest_

In the same second, hurried steps rounded the corner, and Tsuna turned to see Kyoko and Mochida leading with others close behind.

"Tsuna-kun!"

" _Oii_! What do you think you're doing, Dame-Tsuna!"

"Tsuna-kun, are you alright?"

 _Kyoko-chan looks so worried_.

His brain felt all muddled and stuffed full of cotton, and for the life of him Tsuna couldn't figure out _why_. He opened his mouth to answer Kyoko, to reassure her, but a wave of nausea slammed into him with the force of a meteorite.

"I- _eyyaah!_ " Tsuna's form crumpled, choked scream ripped uncontrollably out of his throat as he was gripped in the tight clutches of absolute, _excruciating_ pain _._

The deep ache that has been coursing through his body _exploded_ , like a pipe finally erupting under high pressure, and Tsuna's entire body lost control - from his temples down to the very end of his toes, nothing was free from the incessant pulsing under his skin, eating away at his sanity inch by inch.

Screams rang through his head, and they must be his, but Tsuna couldn't recognize his own voice- couldn't think, couldn't _feel where his head is_. His eyes were scrunched shut, he could be crying, he could be rolling on the floor for all he knew. Every time he thought that he was going to die - that nothing is worse than _this_ , _nothing_ could hurt more than this - the feeling of being burnt alive would crawl across his skin yet again, nerve endings tearing apart at the seams.

When the darkness and the bliss of painlessness finally took him, body heaving, choking on tears and spit, Tsuna thought _finally_.

~*~~*~

 **(Est. Time** **_Unknown_ ** **)**

In the middle of nowhere, he drifted.

Tsuna didn't know where he was, he didn't want to know. He just knew that he didn't feel pain anymore. Tsuna didn't dare to open his eyes - what if he went back to that _pain_?

_Nonononononono_

So he stayed there, drifting. Feeling as if he was lying down, curled up somewhere soft and safe. Painless.

But his thoughts would not leave him in peace.

_What was that?_

The excruciating pain. He felt like he was dying. Fire... fire inside of him, burning him.

_What was all that?_

Trembling hands, shattered bones. So much blood. Howls, moans. So many screams.

_Scary. So scary._

There is no light. Nowhere is safe. Nothing is safe. There is so much, too much. He can't do it. He cannot face anything.  

_I'm scared. It hurts. I don't want to._

Blurry images and memories. Time does not matter. He felt like he lived through lifetimes. Heavy, weary, and old. He shied away.

_Why is this happening? What did I do?_

There were more bodies than he could count. Still, lifeless, eyes glassy and condemning.

_I don't want this. I don't want to hurt so much._

Fire consuming him, swallowing him. Even if he escaped, there would still be blood. There would still be tears.

_No more. Just let me go away. I never want to go back._

...

A drop of liquid light in the inky darkness, resonating. "Now, you cannot truly mean that, Tsunayoshi."

_No, no, no. It hurts! It's scary! There are monsters! No more. No more._

The light was growing, spots of light danced behind his eyelids. "I regret the burdens you are to bear, young child, but things larger and heavier than your life - _your famiglia,_ is at stake."

_I don't want to, you can't make me..._

"Will you leave your loved ones to their fate? The people precious to your heart?"

_My... loved ones? Precious?_

"Did you not resolve to live? To protect? Where is your resolve? Where is your resolution?”

_Live? Re...so...lution? Protect?_

_..._

_"Mou, Tsu-kun. I don't want to be such a nagging mother, but I don't want you to waste away your teenage years doing nothing, and then regret it later when you're older! I want you to go out and live your life to the fullest! Tsu-kun, if you won't do it for yourself, please do it for your mother? At least give it a try?"_

_..._

_"Thank you for saving Kyoko and bringing her to me!"_

_..._

_"You better keep to your word, Dame-Tsuna!"_

_..._

_"Tsuna-kun, gambateh neh? If you need anything, we’ll be here, so it’s going to be okay!"_

...

 _I now swear on my_ death _; I would walk through fire, fight tooth and nail through the deepest depths of hell, I would literally_ claw _myself back to the living to keep the people I love safe._

...

_There are people who believe in me._

_Right now, right this instant, they believe that I will protect them._

_I promised._

_For them._

_For them, I will._

"Do you still want to run away?"

"No. I... want to protect them."

"Then open your eyes."

Tsuna opened his eyes.

 _White_.

A glowing, blanketing sort of white. There is nothing. No ground, no sky, no horizon in the distance. There is no distance.

But there is a man.

A man was standing off to the side, facing away from Tsuna. He could barely see the man's side-profile. He is glowing, too. Just a little. _He looks unreal,_ Tsuna thought. _And also weirdly familiar._

The man looked distinctly western, Tsuna decided. The fly-away blond hair was a dead give away. Tsuna might have also seen something like the long, flowing black cloak the man was wearing on TV once, maybe on one of his mother's favorite drama shows, though Tsuna could be sure that it certainly hadn't looked so extravagant. On second thought, it was likely that everything would look extravagant on this regal man.

The blond man was looking down on something at the back of his hand, but Tsuna couldn't see if he was wearing a watch. Finally, the man spoke, "I always know when a more suitable heir presents into the world. I must admit, you are older than the usual age that I see amongst potential inheritors."

...

"Haah?" _What? What even-?!!_

The man turned around. His gloved hand was now clenched in a fist, ablaze with golden-dark orange flames. He had glowing orange eyes, and an orange flame flickered on his forehead.

If the man hadn't looked so intimidating, Tsuna would have found the entire picture ridiculous. If he didn't know that he could do the same thing. But he does know.    

"Tha- that's the fire inside of me! Uh- wait, not really inside- _inside_ of me, those are _your_ fire, but they look the same, and- and..." Tsuna realized that he was starting to sound like a lunatic, and trailed off hesitantly, eyes still locked on the man.  

"This? It is no coincidence." The burning flame surrounding the man's fist flared higher. "Your Flames of Will is a manifestation of your resolution."

"Wha- the fire... resolution?" Tsuna was so confused. Since that morning he had had so many questions, and it looked like this man had all the answers he desperately needed. "What are you talking about? Can you tell me why I- just- anything!"

A sudden thought invaded his mind, and he hoped this man was someone who would not judge him any less if he knew. "W-what about the voice I hear in my head? It tells me things I know that I _shouldn't_ know! I'm not going crazy am I?!"

The blond man lowered his fist, the orange flames dispersing like a candle flame blown out. "Your intuition is strong. You hear this voice, even when you are not in battle?"

Tsuna didn't know the man, but he did look like he believed Tsuna. _Thank Kami._ He had a feeling the man was trustworthy, and he would understand. He could usually tell if someone has bad motives. Or- or maybe it was the voice at the back of his head again. _This is so messed up._  

"I- I hear it all the time, no matter what I'm doing, and- and I have headaches from it, I think?"

The man inclined his head, fixing his eyes on Tsuna. "The Vongola's Intuition and all seeming abilities is inherited through blood," his eyes were a bright, light orange Flames. "At least, that is what the rest of the world thinks. They don't realize that the Rings themselves hold immense power."

Pale orange eyes flashed. "Ah, but therein lies the secret hidden within a secret."

Head-spinning, Tsuna thought he had never felt so close to pulling out all his hair. _Intuition? Ring? The_ world _? Fire Man-san, you are not making any sense! How did you come up with this completely unrelated answer for my question?!! It's like you are speaking another language!_

"Hmm? I am speaking in my mother tongue, but in these spaces between realities I do not think there exists such a thing as language barriers."

 _Oops,_ Tsuna winced. He must have said the sentence out loud.  

The corner of the man's lips twitched, brows smoothened, and instantly he looked so much kinder. Even more gentle, if it was possible. Tsuna could almost forget his frustration at the whole thing. Almost.

"As for the 'voice in your head', as you so aptly put it..." A flicker in the man's eyes, "Intuition, is not mere 'instinct'. It is wild, natural instinct honed and sharpened to a fine point, guided by experience gained through life and loss. You are a true successor, and will it or not, the ring has chosen you, as I have."

Gentle eyes narrowed softly. "Sawada Tsunayoshi, what awaits you is not something you could fathom. Just know that, for now, you have the experience of generations of your ancestors' experiences to call upon if you so wish."

The man started walking in a wide circle around him, and Tsuna suddenly felt light-headed, but his body leaden with weight. A feeling of drowsiness engulfed him.

"As you are, however, inheriting it all at once will be likened to having a thousand knives carved into your flesh and bones, mayhaps even worse. You would know better than I do."

Tsuna felt a hand on his back, pushing him forward. From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed blonde strands of hair glowing in the slowly darkening world. He tilted forward, sinking, sinking.

"Four centuries of bloodshed and suffering is not for one so untried to bear. I will hold it at bay, for now. Til' you are ready."

He couldn't see anymore. There was a light in the distance, glowing faintly, but his eyelids were drooping.

"Be at ease, you will see me again, Tsunayoshi. Till then, be strong."

~* _~~*_ ~

**(Est. Time 5.44pm)**

Tsuna woke to a hand gently carding through his hair, the last vestiges of a plain white world and light orange eyes swirling away. He might have mumbled something unintelligible, because the next thing he knew was a soothing voice asking near his ear, "Tsu-kun! Are you awake? Open your eyes, Tsu-kun."

"...Muh."

Clearly, his brain and mouth weren't cooperating. Nana still understood what he needed though.

"Oh! Here, Tsu-kun."

A damp cloth was wiping at his eyes, forehead, then his entire face. Tsuna scrunched his nose at the sudden coolness, but it felt good. He blinked open his eyes, staring blankly at the plaster ceiling. He turned his head to the side, eyes falling on Nana hovering beside him. Tsuna got an odd feeling that he had been in this situation before.

His limbs were sluggish, but Tsuna wanted to sit up. He wanted to see, or do... something. Not lie there feeling all tired and heavy. He started pushing himself up, and immediately hands came up to support his back and shoulders.

"Careful Tsu-kun! One of those nice boys with poofy hair checked you over and said you were fine, but after we moved you here you started having such a high fever! You looked so uncomfortable then, but it just broke. I was so worried, Tsu-kun."

There was a tingly feeling at the small of his back, but Nana's hand was rubbing over it a second later, and it was gone. Something was pushed against his dry lips - it was a bottle of water. Tsuna took a tentative sip, and as the cool water slid down his throat, he became aware of just how _thirsty_ he was. Raising both hands to clasp the plastic bottle, he gulped down the contents as fast as he could, barely registering Nana's chiding and a hand pushing down the bottle to make him drink slower.

"There you go... slowly, Tsu-kun." Before he knew it the bottle was empty, and the damp cloth was back on his face, wiping at the water that dribbled down his chin.

"Mama...?" Rejuvenated by the water, Tsuna could think clearer.

"Mama's here, Tsu-kun. Are you feeling better now? No pains or headache, anything hurting? Mou, next time tell me before you go off to help people, I don't want to wake up and see you unconscious being carried back by your friends again."

Tsuna felt embarrassed for some reason. "Er, oka-"

Across the room, the sliding of the classroom door opening cut him off.

"Tsuna-kun! You're awake!"

There was a blur of caramel brown, and Tsuna was looking straight at Kyoko's blown up face crowded up near his.

"Gah!" Rocking back with a jolt, Tsuna nearly fell off the tables he was sitting on. _Kyoko-chan!! S-so close!_

Behind Kyoko, Hana crossed her arms with a huff, "There he is. Finally awake. All fine and dandy. Stop fretting already."

"Ah... Kyoko-chan? Hana-san? I- uh..." _Eh. Ah. Um. Wha-?_

Hana strode over, and in a lightning-quick move, slapped Tsuna atop the head. Hard.

_Itai! That hurt!_

Kyoko turned a horrified look at her best friend. "Hana! What was that for?!"

Tsuna looked up at the dark-haired girl with wide eyes. The top of his head _stung_. One of Hana's eyes twitched.

"Don't look at me like that, you deserved it. Kami knows your head is hard enough if jumping out a third-floor window didn't even scratch you."

Nana turned a horrified look at her son. "Tsu-kun! Why would you jump out a window?!"

Tsuna vaguely remembered the feeling of weightlessness, his stomach rising somewhere into his chest, a split-second before gravity took hold of him and pulled him down to the earth. Then the flames that burst from his feet, cushioning the fall.

_I don't know. The voice in my head told me to!_

Instead, he answered, "Er, Kaa-san! No, it's okay!" He moved to slide off the tables, accidentally snagging a foot on a table leg and lurching forward. Tsuna pinwheeled his arms and narrowly avoided face-planting on the tiled floor. Standing straight, Tsuna tried to give a reassuring smile, "I'm not hurt. See?"

Nana didn't look reassured at all, and started patting his face and limbs as if to check for broken bones.

This time he was sure the heat on his face was from embarrassment - Nana was fussing all over him right in front of Kyoko and Hana, _like I'm a baby!_

"Honestly, my son is the most clumsy boy I have ever seen! Nothing is hurt? Did you trip out the window?" Tsuna swore he could hear a giggle from Kyoko. He wanted to bury himself in a hole somewhere.

The door slid open again, admitting a Disciplinary Committee member in the signature black outfit. Tsuna thought the boy looked thunderous. He was muttering something under his breath, eyes burning a hole in the ground at his feet. A metal stick that was about three feet long was clenched in his fist.

The Disciplinary Committee member looked up momentarily, then did a double take.

"You're awake? That's good, that's good." The boy moved closer, and Tsuna realized that the boy was, in fact, a girl.

_Hiee?! I didn't know DC members can be girls too!_

"Aoi-senpai!" Kyoko called, "Is everything alright, outside...?"

_Aoi? I heard that name before..._

The girl with the pompadour hair gritted her teeth and said, " _Cheh._ Stupid ignorant _weaklings_. Kaicho gave his commands, no one can do anything about it, but that Touma-sensei, I swear if he says one more thing-" she bit back the rest of her sentence.

_Hiee!! Stop waving your metal stick around, you're going to hit someone!_

Hana sighed. "I _know,_ right? Have you all double checked the name list you got from Maemi-chan?"

"We're almost done with identifying. Good thing too, sky's getting dark."

Tsuna looked out the windows. The setting sun was already sinking behind Namimori's mountains. "We... can't turn on the lights can we?"

Aoi spared him a wry glance. "I don't think so."

Just then, his stomach growled. Nana piped up, "Oh, Tsu-kun, you hadn't eaten since breakfast! I'll go get the food for you."

Kyoko turned instead, "No no, I'll get it for Tsuna-kun. Please sit down, Mama. Do you need more water?"

"How thoughtful! Are you still thirsty, Tsu-kun?"

Tsuna nodded to Nana's question.

"Yes please, Kyoko-chan. Thank you," Nana said, starting to clean up the table beside her. There was a water scooper from the bathroom half-filled with water, a handkerchief swirling around in it. Another one beside it. Two empty bottles of water, and... his school uniform. Nana must have helped him change out of it. Tsuna was wearing more comfortable house clothes now. The soft cotton felt wonderful after the stiff and bloodstained uniform.

Tsuna watched as Kyoko opened the door and walked out, shutting it behind her. He focused back on the strange Disciplinary Member. The girl in question was peering closely at him, sweeping her eyes up and down his frame. Tsuna felt like he was being examined under a microscope. No one spoke. It was very awkward.

She rocked back on her heels, "Pipsqueak, what you did earlier, I appreciate it. We all do."

_P-pipsqueak?_

"So," she stalked up close against Tsuna, and he was uncomfortable to find the girl at least two inches taller than him. It made her bland stare all the more threatening. "Mind telling us what you've done? I want to know what's going on with that fiery business of yours."

Nana raised her hand, "Mou, excuse me, but can I know what's happening too?"

"What is what, Sawada-san?" Aoi tone was surprisingly welcome.

"Was there a fire just now? Tsu-kun didn't accidentally set fire to anything did he?"

Both of Aoi's brows rose in response. She looked sideways at Tsuna, then back to Nana, then back to Tsuna again.

"...She doesn't know?"

Tsuna gulped and shook his head minutely.

To Nana, Aoi replied, "No, he didn't. Does that happen often? Things being set on fire?"

"Aoi-chan is it? Just call me Mama, it's fine. Ah, accidents do tend to happen a lot around my clumsy son."

Hana looked questioningly at both Tsuna and Aoi. "Wait, Sawada-san doesn't know what? What 'fiery business' are we talking about here?" Then, "It has something to do with Hirai-senpai and his wounds, doesn't it? It looked nothing like an accident."

"Call me Mama, please. Hirai? Is that the poor boy you brought back who didn't change into a walking dead person?" Nana asked.

Aoi bristled, "Kurokawa! You were supposed to keep away! And Sawada-san, you don't know that. You can't say that he was bitten."

Hana said, "Aoi-senpai, you know Sawada-san is on your side. She helped with talking down Touma-sensei, didn't she?"

"Please call me Mama," Nana reminded, hands busy clearing up the table, stacking the two plastic scoopers together, then the bottles inside. "Oh, yes. I knew he got bitten, of course. I saw him, and there was a lot of people like him on the way here, right Tsu-kun?"

_What? What are you talking about, Kaa-san?_

"You _knew_ he was bitten?! You argued against the other adults! You told them all those things when they were all up in arms wanting to _take Akabo's head off_." gritted Aoi.

 _Hirai-senpai? Akabo? That boy..._ Tsuna remembers evergreen sparks, rushing up to greet his Flames.

Nana just nodded, "I thought that if he wasn't getting up again to attack you on your way back, then he's not going to wake up anymore." She said simply.

Aoi gaped at Nana, and then looked away, subdued, "...Yeah, you're right. ...Mama."

The atmosphere took a sudden downturn, but Nana smiled warmly. "Thank you, Aoi-chan. And I think that's better, isn't it? For the boy."

Hana frowned, "Unfortunately, _someone_ has to explain here. What in the world are you talking about? Aoi-senpai, no offense, but anyone with brains could tell that the accident excuse was a lie. Hirai-senpai's death was no accident. Not with the way you and the other DC boy was acting. But here's the problem, because if he _did_ get bitten, then we all know what happens. If Hirai-senpai was bitten, then- Wait, you can't mean... " her eyes widened.

Aoi silently appraised Hana.

"But I thought- That doesn't make sense!" Hana sounded frustrated.

Aoi snorted, "What, there's something that's happened this whole damned day that _makes sense_?" She took a deep breath, "No, it wasn't an accident at all... Akabo was murdered." Aoi clenched her fists, and Tsuna wanted to back away from the girl holding a hanbo like she wanted to bash something with it. "One of the things got him."

Hana sucked in a breath, "Doesn't that mean... _How_ ? _"_

_Please don't mention me, please don't mention me._

He sent Aoi a pleading look. She returned him an unimpressed one.

"Really? You think you can hide something like that? At a time like this?"

"What _is_ this thing you two keep talking about? What are you hiding?" Hana demanded.

"I would like to know too if it's about Tsuna," Nana added.

Being in the center of everyone's focus again felt like he was held in a chokehold.

There was no reason to not tell Hana and Nana. If he needed to, Tsuna knows he would not hesitate at all to use the strange fire in front of them. He'd already used it so much today. Tsuna never thought about _hiding_ it from Nana - she was right there from the start. He just didn't know if she noticed the orange fire covering his hands this morning when he brought her here. It's not that Tsuna does not want Nana to know, he's more worried that Nana... that Nana _won't_ believe him. Or that she will and would worry herself to death over what's happening to him.

_Oh, what am I saying, I myself don't know what's happening!_

"Tsuna, what have I told you about hiding things from me?" Under Nana's disapproving gaze Tsuna felt like he had shrunken back to when he was a nine-year-old, that unfortunate time when he tried to hide a limp he got from tripping down the stairs at school. In his defense, he really thought it was just a bruise. He was shocked when it became all purple and swollen overnight.

"Ah, not to? B-but it's not the same thing!"

Aoi cackled, "You sound like a whiny brat, Pipsqueak."

"I do not!"

"Tsu-kun," Nana said.

Hana looked two seconds away from her hands down on a table. "Stop playing around!"

"It's his stupid choice," Aoi defended herself.

The door slid open, and Kyoko wandered inside with Ryohei trailing behind her.

"I'm back!"

"Sawada! I'm EXTREMELY glad to see that you're awake!"

"Oh good," Hana pinched the bridge of her nose. " _More_ delays."

"Hmm? What delays, Hana?" Kyoko asked, passing two wrapped onigiris and another bottle of water to Tsuna. "Here, Tsuna-kun." And to Nana, "Yuuki-chan says that we have to take the bottles back just in case they need to be reused, Mama."

"Ah, I didn't think of that!"

"It was the DC's EXTREME idea!"

Aoi quirked a smile, "Kusaryu's good at managing resources. Tetsuya's grooming him to be the next VP."

Kyoko tilted her head to the side, "Hana-chan, are you okay? You look so red, are you sick?"

Tsuna took a quick peek at the dark-haired girl's expression. _More like from anger, I think._

"No, Kyoko, I'm not sick. But I _will_ be out for blood if _someone_ doesn't tell me what's happening _right this instant_ ." She pointed at Tsuna. " _You_ , spill."

All heads swivel to face him. _Hieeeee!! S-Scary! No more escaping it now._ Tsuna sighed and hung his head. "I-It's not something I want to hide too. But, it's a bit... weird."

"It's, uh. I-It's, I mean-"

"Tell us the EXTREME truth like a real man, Sawada!"

"A-ah, I mean, it's a bit hard to believe..."

"Hard to believe is one way to put it," Aoi cut in, jutting a chin at Tsuna.

"This pipsqueak can control _fire_."

Tsuna almost did a spit-take, and he wasn't even drinking.

_Gah, what??!_

The others were similarly gobsmacked.

"What are you saying-" Hana started.

"I saw you burn those things away." Aoi was staring directly at Tsuna, her fierce gaze pinning him down. "I saw you with the fire all around you, but it didn't burn you. You could control what you want to burn. And it's not normal fire either, I _felt_ it. Kusakabe said he did too, and he said that you were the one who stopped- who saved Akabo." Turning to face the others, Aoi continued, "Apparently, he put his hand on Akabo's forehead and then _stopped_ it."

She ignored everyone's shocked expression and Hana's muttered " _what in the world"_ , staring back intently at Tsuna who was trying to keep himself from cringing at her pointed bluntness. "I heard from Kusakabe, there was a lot of _fire_ involved there too."

"Oh my..." Nana looked stunned.

"That is EXTREME, Sawada!" Ryohei was immediately on-board.

"That's impossible." Hana countered.

"Sawada has guts, of course it is true!"

"It's delusional!"

"It is EXTREMELY not!"

Kyoko started to placate her best friend, "Hana-chan, maybe we should listen to Tsuna-kun's explanation."

"Pipsqueak, say something. I want to know how you did it," said Aoi.

"I-I... I didn't mean to! I don't know what happened too, alright?" Tsuna exclaimed. "I just- I just want to protect people. I don't know anything, it's the truth, okay? I only found out this morning on the streets! Then there is this thing in my head that keeps telling me what to do, and I- I just _know_ , and the-the fire is just, there was this dream- a man on fire told me, well not- but he said something about _Famiglia_ and I don't know what's that, something about inheritance and blood and secrets, then- and-"

Tsuna knew he was rambling. In his mind's eye, Tsuna saw the faces of the people around him morph into disbelieving expressions, and he felt even more like curling up and burying himself in some deep, dark hole.

 _Why is this so_ hard _? Why is everything so messed up? I can't think properly..._

Hands slapped down on his shoulders with a resounding _smack_.

_OUCH!_

It hurt, but Tsuna was snapped out of his own demoralizing thoughts, and he looked up to see a pair of determined grey eyes.

"Sawada! It is EXTREMELY alright! You said that you want to protect people, and you did! Doing that takes EXTREME guts! That is all that matters to me, so you don't have to say anything more! I am already getting an EXTREME headache!" Ryohei's expression was... extremely earnest. He looked a little blinding, come to think of it.

 _Sasagawa-senpai... thank you. But the last sentence wasn't needed._ Tsuna could already feel both his shoulders stinging on top of all his other scraps and bruises. He swallowed down the urge to cough.

"Tsuna-kun! You saved me, and that's all that matters, I don't care how you did it." Kyoko staunchly supported her elder brother's stance.

"Kyoko-chan..."

"Mou, Tsu-kun, that's not something you should keep from your mother. But isn't it wonderful, Tsu-kun? You can help me light the fire on the stove when it's not working again!"

"Mama..."

Hana huffed, and said, "I still don't believe that _elementals_ exist, but if Kyoko doesn't mind, I'll let you go for now as a favor. For now. I _will_ get to the bottom of this."

_E-even Hana-san too..._

Aoi cackled lightly. "Relax, pipsqueak. I want to know, but you'd better sort it out first before telling me. I wanna hear a full report, not nonsense mumblings." The girl waved her hànbo nonchalantly. "I'm actually more interested in _replicating_ your moves. That possible?"

"You all..." Tsuna didn't remember when was the last time so many people had supported him. _Him_ . Or if there were ever a time that so many of his peers had just _accepted_ his shortcomings. It was honestly a little overwhelming.

"About that, Aoi-senpai, I think- I think you can use the fire too," Tsuna wanted to thank these people, people who _believe_ in him. "Sasagawa-senpai, you too.”

“Call him Nii-san, Tsuna-kun.”

“Yes, I EXTREMELY agree with Kyoko!”

“Eh…”

“Wait, you just said I have fire powers too? Don’t get distracted, continue!”

_Fire powers??!_

_“_ I- I just know that it's there, inside. I think I can feel it in you too. It's... strong. I saw Aka- I mean, Hirai-senpai's too. He, Hirai-senpai was fighting. There was this... gray, sludgy thing, eating away at him on the inside, and he was fighting it."

Tsuna looked up at Aoi. "I only helped him, he was the one that fought off it off. He saved himself."

Aoi gasped. "You _saw_ him? You- what, you-"

"I just got the impression of green sparks, for some reason. But I _know_ that is was Hirai-senpai." Tsuna was _sure_.

Aoi was visibly shaken. "Akabo... I _knew_ he would fight til the end. He's like that. He always rushes into things without thinking, then somehow punches his way out. That's Akabo, that's _him_ ," she was muttering at the end.

"Tsuna-san, does that mean that you think not only _you_ have this- this _special ability_ , but Aoi-senpai and Hirai-senpai, even this big lug of a monkey too?" Hana nudged Ryohei in the side, clearly focused on the previous question.

Tsuna didn't really know how to answer that. _Is it? Can everyone do it? If even someone like me_ _can, surely everyone can too?_

"I think... it has something to do with resolution. Your resolve... or something. I- I heard it, from my dream," he said.

Hana sighed, "Of course. Prophetic dreams and mystical magical powers come in hand in hand. How could I have thought otherwise?"

Ryohei scratched his head. "Huh?"

Kyoko giggled.

Nana stood up, arms laden with things, "I'm glad Tsu-kun has such interesting friends, please take good care of him! I'm getting these cleaned up, be right back!"

Wiggling three of her free fingers, Nana pushed open the door with her hip, slipping outside.

"So... what are we doing now?" Ryohei asked.

Aoi was the one to answer, "The others should be long done with identifying by now. That's all we have for today. Patrol is already set up for the night. We’re still waiting for radio signals to come through. First thing tomorrow, we're going to find anything else we could bring up, then cut off the stairways. Kaicho's orders. Busy day, so rest up."

Ryohei fist-punched the air, "Understood! I will go to sleep early and wake up EXTREMELY earlier to help!"

"You big monkey, don't shout in my ear!"

"I am EXTREMELY sorry!"

"Lower your volume!"

"Nii-san, Hana-chan, let's go see if anyone needs more food, okay?"

"That is a great idea, Kyoko! Let's go!"

"Wait- I'm not done-"

Kyoko grabbed Hana's hand and pulled her out, "Let's go Hana-chan, go go go!"

"Wai-" The door slid shut.

Now it was just Tsuna and Aoi in the room, listening to Ryohei's shouting down the corridor.

Aoi cracked up, " _Pfft_ , you guys are just too funny, _haha_ , where did you find these friends, pipsqueak?"

_I don't know! And they are not funny! Sasagawa-senpai is so enthusiastic he’s a little scary, and Hana-chan is already scary all on her own!_

The girl took one look at Tsuna's face and descended into more laughter. Tsuna could only look on helplessly.

While Aoi was busy laughing at... whatever it is she finds amusing, Tsuna was drawn to the windows. The curtains were pulled back on this side to allow in every bit of sunlight, though it didn't do much right now since the sun was on the other side of the building, and it was already setting.

The classroom had already been cleared of tables, just a line of them stacked up by the corridor windows, blocking them out. A safety precaution. There was a spread of pushed-together tables in the middle of the classroom, like a conference table except without chairs. It must have been what the other Disciplinary Committee members were looking at when he woke up the first time. Tsuna glanced at the clock on the wall, it was getting close to night time.

Outside, the overcast skies were already turning dark, the temperature of the air quickly cooling. An entire day has passed, but they still didn't know what is happening outside. And why. Hana was right, in that _someone_ needs to get to the bottom of things and find out.

_Why are people becoming monsters? I want to keep the people I love safe, but now we're stuck here, and it feels like there is nothing I can do. What are we even doing right now? It feels like something terrible is happening, and this is just the beginning. Where is the end? What can I do? I don't want to stand back and let other people do it, not when I've already started. I want to help._

"Aoi-senpai... do you think there is anything that I can help with?" Tsuna suddenly asked.

Aoi's laughter died down, and she answered, "Why? That's a serious face you're wearing, what are you thinking?"

Tsuna hesitated. "It's just, I feel like I have no idea what to do, but there must be _so much_ . This entire thing feels _so big_ and I- and I..."

"Pipsqueak," Aoi groaned. "Stop thinking so much. Yes," she cut off Tsuna's forming protest. "This is bigger than us. So much bigger. It's _worldwide_ . Dear Kami do I understand that. We have zilch on what's happening out there, and I know it's scary to think about, so _compartmentalize._ "

Aoi tapped her hanbo on the back of Tsuna's head. Lightly.

"Think too big, you'll panic. So think small. Thinking long-term is impossible for a single person when there is too much at stake and too little information. Nothing will come out of working yourself right up into a fit. Don't explode that head of yours, the DC is already working on it. We have our geniuses too, you know. Solving something this big needs a lot of heads. You can help, if you want to."

Listening to Aoi, Tsuna felt... relieved. _Don't think like I have only myself. There are others, too. A lot of people are working hard to save everyone, too. I'm not doing this alone._

"I can help?"

"Everyone can help, pipsqueak. You can even help right this second."

"Huh?"

"We could use that fire of yours."

"My Flames?"

"I feel like there should be a difference...? Whatever. We need some burning done. Your kind of burning, completely clean, and without smoke, like at the office."

"O-okay. I'll help." Tsuna wants to help. If the only thing he could do is to help burn things, that's already so much better than being a _dame_.

Aoi spied his suddenly determined stance. "...Okay,  it's not fair that I'm not telling you, but you can't back out now."

"I don't- what?"

Aoi snagged Tsuna by the arm and led him to the door, sliding it open. "I'm not sure if they're done yet, anything you want to do first?"

"Er, n-no?" Tsuna looked across the courtyard, at the school gates, expecting the same gruesome sight... but there was none.

Covered by elongating shadows of cherry blossom trees, it was empty outside the gates. Further down the road were a few straggling figures, black silhouettes against the fading blunt orange of the sunset, stumbling forwards with lurching steps.

"No? Great, let's go," Leading the way to the stairwell, Aoi didn't notice Tsuna's shock and kept dragging him forwards by the arm.

"A-ah, Aoi-senpai, the g-" It was at this inopportune moment that Tsuna's stomach decided to let out a loud, drawn-out growl of protest at its emptiness.

"..."

_Gahh, I haven't eaten since this morning!_

"Where’s your onigiri?"

“Ahh… I left it on the table…”

“Go get it, Pipsqueak.”

“Er, also… I want to _gotothebathroom_.”

“...”

Aoi laughed _hard_ at Tsuna’s flushed face.

~*~~*~

Stuffing the rest of his dinner into his mouth, Tsuna followed Aoi down the stairs of the science building. Well, it's actually Block D, but because it only has the science labs and the home economic rooms, everyone calls it the science building. Tsuna had only been to the general science lab on the first floor twice.

"Come on, they've probably finished building it already."

Tsuna swallowed the dry food, wishing he hadn't left the bottle of water Kyoko handed him in the classroom. "Building what?"

"The pyre."

~*~~*~

**(Est. Time 6.02pm)**

The sky was already colored dark in shades of grey and dark blue, only wisps of bleak orange clouds quickly fading over the school buildings.

The old outdoor court has floor made of bricks and cement, and it had never been used since Namimori Middle built the indoor court. Tsuna didn't even know Namimori Middle _had_ this old court at the back of the science building. The ground was cracked and overrun with weeds. There were about ten other students on the court, all sporting the pompadour hairstyle. Some of them looked a little floppy.

The stench was immediately nauseating, but Tsuna forgot all about it when he saw the huge pyre. When Aoi said 'pyre' he thought of the size of the school carnival bonfire, maybe twice as large, but he never thought it would be like _this_.

Aoi had walked faster to stand beside another member- Kusakabe. It was Kusakabe. The last time Tsuna saw the older boy was only a couple hours ago, but it felt a lot longer than that.

Kusakabe saw Tsuna coming up behind him, and greeted a subdued "Sawada-san."

Tsuna stopped beside Kusakabe. He got a closer look at the completed pyre, and it felt like he was doused in icy water.

"It's huge."

"We could've not used any wood, it would have been much smaller."

"Then why?"

"It's a funeral. Should look like one."

What Tsuna thought would look like a carnival bonfire actually _did_ look like a carnival bonfire. Except it was at least six times larger, the long wooden pieces stacking up in a rough rectangular shape that almost took up the entire court. The border's height was built up to Tsuna's waist. The inside could be filled with something as tinder, paper maybe, but starting at about the height of Tsuna's knee there were boards covering the entire bottom of the rectangular, and on top of them were _bodies_ . They were all hidden under large cloths ( _are those curtains?_ ), but most the shape of the imprints was distinct. Of those that weren't, Tsuna could count them by the huge blots of crimson that soaked through the cloths. There were many, many bodies, and Tsuna felt _dizzy_ just looking at it. He'd never seen a corpse before today - never been to a funeral before, and now _this_.

That wasn't all. There was a second level, built on top of the first. It was a lot smaller, and it was at height with Tsuna's head. There were about twenty bodies there, individually covered up. In the middle was one covered with a different colored cloth. White instead of the standard blue curtains. It looked like a tablecloth. A bloodstained tablecloth. Three Disciplinary Committee members were leaning long sticks of wood all around against the structure, and the huge pyre takes on an irregular conical shape.

_All these people..._

"There's so many."

"Kyoya-san went out just now, with two others," Kusakabe said.

"W-wha? Why?!" _How?! That's so dangerous!!_

Kusakabe seemed to know what Tsuna was thinking and explained. "They went over the school walls at the back of the sports field, then circled around the perimeter. Brought back several bodies. Attracted all the attention from the school gates, then slipped back in. We cleaned up the gates when all the enemies were too busy chasing down Kyoya-san's group, and that seemed to solve the crowding problem. We didn't know how long the gates would hold, even if it was reinforced."

"That was- that is amazing!" _Nothing can beat the Demon of Namimori and his devout followers!_

Kusakabe glanced to the side at Tsuna, and the corner of his lips twitched. "They didn't engage the enemy directly. Mostly used distractions, and they traveled by roof. Kyoya-san was not happy, but it was necessary."

_'Not happy' and 'Hibari Kyoya' in one sentence... I am so glad I'm not an enemy._

"So all these people, also includes the other b- people they saved from outside?" Tsuna gulped. _How did they bring them back? By carrying them?_

"We were going to hold a cremation either way, and the dead bodies around the school perimeter could become a potential problem if left where they were.” Kusakabe spoke lowly, "The students and teachers are the ones on top, those that we could identify. The others are the bodies that were brought back, and... the enemy."

"Kusakabe-senpai..." _those people are victims too_. But Tsuna didn't have the heart to say it. Kusakabe's gaze had moved back onto the single spot of stark white amongst the blue and red.   

"They're done," Kusakabe said.

Tsuna looked over at the pyre. The three members have finished and had stepped back towards them, all the members forming a half-circle, backs to the school building. It was lucky for them that the school walls at the back here were tall because they were practically situated at the foot of the North-West mountains.

"Where's Hibari-senpai?"

Kusakabe pointed up at Block D that was directly facing the court. "Up there."

Tsuna tilted his head up, and- there, on the roof. The black gakuran fluttering in the wind was unmistakable, but... _did he take off the bandage around his face? That's not good!_

"I should've listened to you," Kusakabe whispered.

Tsuna whipped back to face the boy, "H-huh? What did you say, Kusakabe-senpai? I- I wasn't listening, sorry..."

"No, I just said it's lucky the wind's blowing the other way. Are you ready?" Kusakabe gestured at the pyre.

It was only then that Tsuna noticed that everyone was _staring at him_.

_Hieeee!!! I- I'm the only one who is not a DC member here! I feel so out of place..._

Tsuna hunched his shoulders, shuffling forwards. "I-yes. Yes, I can help. I mean- I'm ready."

He raised a hand, turning the palm towards himself. _Okay, how do I do this?_ Trying to pull his concentration away from the staring, from the outside, he focused. Tsuna held his breath, looking _inwards,_ reaching, reaching.   

The Flames in him felt sluggish, reluctant to respond. _Not now,_ Tsuna thought.

_Please do this._

The fire wavered slightly but didn't come surging out like Tsuna thought it would. _Come on._  He remembered seeing those bodies of people, real people lying on the side of the road. Gurling cries and mangled flesh. No one should have gone through that and Tsuna... Tsuna couldn't do _anything_ for them. He couldn't help them, can't help them, but he could do _this much_.  _Please._ Coaxing, he reached, deep inside, and gently, gently, _tugged_.

Warmth rose up from within, flowing through his limbs, laced with the scorching sensation of being burnt. Tsuna suppressed a wince. _Come on, come on._

A tiny flame sparked into existence in the palm of his hand. _There it is. Come on, more,_ more _._

He could feel a bead of sweat rolling down the bridge of his nose. Closing his eyes, Tsuna searched deep inside, digging up the pitiful last dredges of bright Flames he could find. The miniature flame slowly grew to cover his entire hand.

Breathing hard, Tsuna looked at Kusakabe for confirmation.

The Vice President was staring at Tsuna, and gave a nod. Beside him, Aoi's face was blank.

"Light 'em up."

Placing a hand near the pyre, the flame in his hand leapt onto it, like a child eager to please. Tsuna almost reached out to grab the small spark, before he stopped himself. The wood caught, and it spread quickly, consuming the entire pyre, swirling upwards so tall as if it could touch the sky.

Tsuna stepped back, watching his flames eat away at the pyre. There was the smell of burnt wood and flesh, choking thick in the air. Heat waves rolled off the burning pyre, flames dancing to a non-existent wind. But there were no ashes. Nothing, but flame, and heat. The flames were of orange, red, and gold, casting long shadows that flicker to the crackle of wood and the roar of fire.

Staring into the heart of the pyre, Tsuna thought he could be deafened by this empty sound. This crackle. This dull roar of wood accompanied by _life_ , burning into nothing. It was too bright, and his eyes felt dry, but he didn't look away.

He thinks no one there did, anyway.

~*~~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I planned all chapters for this fic to be around the 5k mark in length. It has instead proceeded in a 5k, then 6k, then 7k, then 9k mark. 
> 
> Starting next chapter, it'll all be divided into segments and posted separately within the month. So anyone who wants to read the full chapter, check in on the last day of every month instead of the first/


	6. V: Sara

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part One of the side arc as seen through other characters' eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost forgot I have a chapter to post *headdesk* And so starts the shorter updates… It’s how the story is written anyways: in parts and pieces, then put together and blanks filled in.
> 
> Also, **NOTE IN ADVANCE** : I will keep posting all the pre-written chapters regularly until we reach the end of them, which... to be honest, will be end of November. And then we'll just see what happens from there whoopdedoo off I go

Sara didn't know anymore. She was lucky to survive until now, by sheer luck and chance to be one of the ones already standing near the school building itself when that first surge of attack commenced. The ones still in the courtyard weren't so lucky. The twisted, gory features of those- those monsters... how could everyone had  _not noticed?_  

They had gathered slowly, unobtrusive enough to pass under the sweeping radar of normalcy. When the alarm was finally raised, it was already too late. With the first lunging step through the school gates, it signaled the start of a never-ending nightmare.

It was early morning of yet another normal Thursday, 40 something minutes before first period. Sara remembers this clearly, as she had just checked her wristwatch the moment the first scream pierced through the crisp morning air.

Sara hadn't even noticed anything wrong at first.  _(Kami bless my stupid, stupid self.)_  She heard the scream, but that wasn't anything alarming. Sara ignored the sound, intent as she was to get to class. Then more screams started, and a few students dashed past her in a scramble of a run. Mystified, she turned to look behind at the school gates.

Maybe she knew at first glance exactly what she was seeing, but it wasn't registering in her brain. Or maybe she  _didn't want_ it to register.

 _Those people were hurt_ were her first thought. Their movements were slow and stiff. Some had bloodstains on their clothes. Faces seemingly frozen in expressions of terrified horror, like the victims in those movies she so loved to see with her brother. They had watched one, two days before on a Tuesday night.

Huddled underneath their blankets, living room dark except for the glaring light from the television, her brother had stage-whispered in her ear ' _Saraaa, urrghhh~ They're coooming for yoooou'._ She had yelped, and smacked him on the head with the popcorn bowl. This is the real world, her subconscious told her.  _The supernatural does not exist here_.

Then she saw grey hands clamp down, pulling near. Someone had got caught. Sara can't remember who. She can't even remember if it was a male or female student. In her mind, it was no one she knew, yet also everyone she did. In her dreams, sometimes it was her friends, sometimes it was students she only saw in passing on the corridor. At times it was her brother, even though he had graduated to Namimori High last year. When the nightmares are spectacularly bad, it would be Sara herself. And she would be absolutely helpless  _(useless)_ as she watched herself scream.

The terrified cries of that student joined and amplified the rising cacophony in the school courtyard.  The man  _(no,_ no _it's not a man, not anymore)_ who had grabbed the struggling student by their shoulder  _wrenched_ their victim backwards, and there was a sickening, cracking sound as the student was turned away, _(and_ how  _did I hear that sound? I was so far away, and it was so noisy)_ then there was a gruesome  _crunch_.

Then the  _red, red, RED_.

In the resulting chaos, Sara only remembered thinking faintly-

_Brother, they came for me._

_~*~~*~_

Everything was hazy after that. Sara didn't remember moving at all. Just a haze of scenes flashing by too fast to make sense of. 

There were blurry black jackets and red armbands, running footsteps, someone was snapping out orders, a room with sofas, sharp faces and voices, sound and picture meshing together into an unrecognizable mess of memories, and no matter how hard she tried, Sara cannot seem to remember clearly what happened between her standing in front of the school and her sitting down in a classroom on the third floor of the school building.

Voices, screams, shouts; what does it matter? Not here. Not in her world, not now.

She snapped back into the present when an arm wound around her shoulders, and her first thought was  _No!_

Before she could jerk herself away from the threat  _(wide open maws, eating her flesh, tearing her apart)_ she was strung into a tight hug. Belatedly she recognized that it was her classmate Yuuki's arm tugging her closer.

Sara was sitting down at one of the desks, there were other students, all huddled together, faces pale and shivering, some grim, some blank, pressing shoulder tight against shoulder. Her book bag was nowhere to be found  _(probably lost somewhere in the school that was overrun with, with-)_ , and her cell phone was lost with it. Sara sat, shivering from a cold deep inside.

_What just happened? What do I do?_

_I want to wake up._

Later, Sara realized she was sitting at the exact same place as she had in her own classroom, and the irony of that tiny piece of normalcy struck her like lightning. That moment, it seemed so absurd and hilarious, that she laughed till tears blurred the world around her.

When she finally stopped, it was to fall into murky dreams where her brother screamed her name.

~* _~~*~_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, I know. That's because I'm separating it up by character POVs, and the others have the bulk. Check in maybe next week for the next update. Spoiler: Kurokawa Hana
> 
> Leave a comment and tell me what you think! Or for any questions if you have them/  
> Sara is an OC that… will be here to stay for a little while. 
> 
> Fun fact: This is the first excerpt/scene I’ve written for this story. The _very first_.


	7. Vi: Hana

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part Two of the side arc as seen through other characters' eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've paced it so that this chapter is a four-part thing. So one update every week till the end of November/

Everything that happened after she had reached her classroom this morning wasn't something she liked to think about. It was illogical and does not make a lick of sense. Hana liked things to be orderly; she always has the vital points of every situation in her grasp long before she enters them. She knows what to do, what to say before anything new even arises. It's a logical course of action when you have already analyzed everything down to the very last detail. Of course, there were still things that she missed, but this...

_ Was it possible for me to have missed something this big? _

Hana was one of the lucky ones brought here directly from her classroom. She heard the Disciplinary Committee yelling down the hallways for everyone to get out of the classrooms, so she did. There was only a handful of them in classrooms that early anyway, and soon all of them were herded into this classroom on the third floor.

On the way the committee members that was responsible for her small group had gotten frustrated by their unhurried take on what was evacuating the entire student body to the 'safe room', and in the end they had ended up sprinting down the hallways with one member leading and the other screaming obscenities for them to move their collective asses. Once she caught something from outside the windows, but there wasn't any time to stop and think. 

Thinking back, if she had had the time, Hana knew she would have given the yelling committee member a piece of her mind for his sheer rudeness, punishable by bitten-to-death or no. It was fortunate she hadn't.

It wasn't until they reached the classroom that they realize something was  _ very  _ wrong, the first clue being front row view to the converging mass of people that are not of the school body down on ground level. They were ushered into the classroom, but the committee members did not linger, too busy fulfilling their duties elsewhere on the school grounds, gathering the scattered students and faculty members.

Some of them had stepped out of the classroom, unheeding of the warning to stay inside that committee member has hastily thrown at them before dashing away. They went out to the corridor. They looked out the windows, down at the people that turned out to be gruesome  _ monsters _ . Many had run back into the classroom in an instant, desperately trying to scrub away the images of their fellow students being  _ eaten _ down below. Many screamed.

Another pair of Disciplinary Committee members herded up another group, these ones frightened beyond belief. They have seen first-hand of what was happening on the ground floor. Some of them may even be hurt and- there was a piercing shriek, followed by even more horrified cries, as one of the incredibly pale students that had just been brought up started _decomposing_ _right there_. 

Hana didn't scream, didn't move. Whether she was paralyzed with fear, simply felt nothing in her shock, or even something else, she wasn't sure. She hadn't had time to react.

One blink of an eye and that ( _ dead)  _ student was up and out the window, one Demon of Namimori standing in its place instead. Hana didn't turn to watch, but she did hear the sound of human hitting asphalt. It was less of a  _ splat _ than she had imagined - more of a  _ thunk _ . More solid.

"Go inside, or I'll bite you to death."

In light of the mauling and  _ biting _ going on at ground level, someone managed a hysterical laugh between everyone's mad scramble into the classroom.

But here she stood, once again with the students who had ventured out at the surprised shout that _something big_ _is heading this way._

That something big turned out to be not very big at all, but it was the cause of a very big disturbance. It was cutting down the hoards of moving corpses outside, and it was heading towards the school. Hana could feel cold shivers traveling down her spine. What could be strong enough, horrific enough, to best even the monsters that had taken over her hometown as far as her eyes can see? A monster, the biggest of them all? What is it? What does it want?

Then the  _ thing _ turned out to be a person, more specifically, three people. One she immediately recognized as her best friend.  _ Kyoko _ , she thought, and another woman, but they weren't fighting. Her eyes fell on the one person that was  _ carving _ a bloody path through the mass of undead. Hana's mind blanked out, and it took her several moments - moments where the person,  _ he,  _ and his two companions reached the school gates- to process what she was seeing, and who exactly.

Hana gaped. She  _ knows  _ this person _.  _ From the gasps around her, they recognize the boy too- and who doesn't know him, or of him? It's actually pretty incredible, that despite his popularity, or maybe  _ because of _ his  _ un _ popularity,  _ everyone  _ knows Dame-Tsuna.

_ The one that trips over thin air all the time. _

_ The one that can't even finish a sentence without stuttering. _

_ The weak, wimpy one that always gets the last place on every subject ever since  _ elementary school _. _

_ The one that cannot, has  _ never _ done anything  _ right _. _

The three of them reached the other side of the gate and onto school grounds. Tsuna,  _ Dame-Tsuna  _ had boosted Kyoko and the women over the iron gates right after doing an incredible leg-sweep  _ move thingy  _ that fell a whole circle of those monsters, then he  _ flipped himself over. _ Can he do that, when he can't even jump over three tiers of the jumping jack stacks? Is that even fathomable for someone who can't even  _ run _ properly?

They disappeared into the school building below. Hana protested when the Disciplinary Committee members ushered her and the others back into the classroom, she wanted to see her best friend  _ first thing _ , and that is exactly what she is going to do.  _ No one _ is moving her from her spot, not even the Hibari Kyoya.

It wasn't even three minutes later when they arrived. Did they know where they were?

"Kyoko!" Hana waved her best friend over.

"Hana!" Kyoko came running, dropping the backpack she was carrying on the floor as she dove into her outstretched arms. They hugged each other tightly, and the warmth and weight circled in her arms made Hana feel good that this person,  _ Kyoko, _ the person she cares about the most is confirmed  _ safe _ , and here with her.  _ (What about mum?) _

"Where were you? You were late, and I thought it was your idea to come to school early to finish up our project?" Hana chided lightly. She felt like she needed to say something normal, to balance out the sheer wave of relief and emotions in turmoil between the both of them.

"I stopped to talk to Tsuna-kun..." Kyoko sniffed, head tipping up to look at Hana properly, "Hana, Tsuna-kun saved me. He saved my life."

The last time Hana saw Kyoko with that glint in her eyes, they were in second grade, two eight-year-olds, one who have just been saved by another from an attempted child kidnapping. 

Kyoko had looked at Hana, both tiny forms huffing and panting from having ran so fast, and she had had that shining look in her eyes like Hana had hung the moon, the sun, and all the stars in the sky. 

_ "Will you be my best friend?" _

Those eyes asked for only one answer, just one. 

_ "Yes." _

And that was that.

Now, they were older, and once again Kyoko had that look in her eyes, but it wasn’t- wasn’t for  _ Hana _ . She looked over to where  _ Dame-Tsuna is fighting Hibari Kyoya what-in-the-world  _ and from the corner of her eyes, Hana could see Kyoko follow suit. 

Kyoko looked at Sawada Tsunayoshi like he shook her whole world, rattled the stars, tipped the moon, the tides, and called down heaven upon earth. Her eyes were positively  _ sparkling _ .

Something sharp and vaguely sour jolted through her, and Hana is self-aware enough to know that it is a stab of jealousy. Kyoko is  _ her  _ best friend. Call her zealousness for protecting Kyoko whatever you want, but Hana is Kyoko's  _ castle wall _ , and guarding is her nature. She is not prepared to share, but circumstances now stand against her. Hana honestly didn't know what to think about that.

Especially when right at the moment the thought entered her mind, there was a sharp  _ crack _ , and Hibari Kyoya was spitting out a glob of blood  _ (I really hope that wasn't a tooth) _ , and Dame-Tsuna tipped backward onto the floor in a dead faint. 

There was a soft cry, as the woman that came with them hurried to the boy's side. 

"Tsu-kun! Oh dear, I think he must have been too tired! Do you have anywhere he can rest?" the bubbly woman asked the boy who just beat her son up  _ (because it couldn't be anyone else),  _ expression exasperatedly fond. It might have been exhaustion, but Hana remains skeptical. She was more focused on what  _ Hibari Kyoya _ would answer.

He just gave a "Hng", black gakuran snipping at the air as he turned sharply on his heels, stalking away.  _ Well, that was disappointing. _

Kyoko had gone to Dame-Tsuna, hovering around him worriedly. The boy looked like he was just sleeping to Hana, he should be fine.

Hana glanced down at the front courtyard, at the bodies splayed on the ground, and at more of the  _ things  _ gathering at the front gates. She pushed the grotesque imagery to the back of her mind, to maybe be revisited when she had built up the fortitude to stomach it. 

Turning to a Disciplinary Committee member standing to the side, Hana wrinkled her nose. "You, yes, of course  _ you _ , I'm looking at you. Don't you think we should shut all the windows? The smell is going to be unbelievable later."

The older boy just shot her a thoughtful look, then walked away nodding lightly, talking to other members.

As the remaining Disciplinary Committee members stepped in to clean up the situation, usher the murmuring and disbelieving students back into the classroom, and to arrange something for the newcomers  _ (Oh I'm Tsu-kun's mother, just call me Mama) _ , Hana was stuck in a dilemma.

_ Was it possible for me to have missed something this big? _

She must have, evidenced by what she just saw. He fought back. We could do nothing but run, but he fought, and  _ dominated _ .

_ Or have I? You can't miss what hadn't been there in the first place.  _

Hana swore she would drag out every sliver of information that there is to know. Kyoko's words flash through her mind:  _ He saved my life _ , and Hana hesitated.

_ Maybe... a thanks is in order first, and... a change of name. Dame-Tsuna just seems ill-fitting in light of the new information. Then,  _ then _ I'll get to the bottom of this. _

Mind made up, Hana grabbed Kyoko by the hand to lead her inside, questions already swirling in her head. 

~*~~*~  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment and tell me what you think! Or for any questions if you have them/


	8. Vii: Hana

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part Three of the side arc as seen through other characters' eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another week, another chapter! I've been a little busy and distracted lately, so the chapter after the next is still in the works. Just as it's been for the past month or so. Erm.
> 
> Anyways, thank you for those of you who keep coming back for whatever reason ;D, hope you enjoy this! More of a filler chapter, actually... aaand introducing yet another new OC!

Kyoko, as she ever does, comes at the questions round and round, never upfront and straightforward when she could be skittish and evading, feather-light and shy. If it had been anyone else, Hana would have given in to sheer frustration five minutes in and resorted to more effective measures, but it was  _Kyoko_ , and it wouldn't be her best friend if she didn't make Hana want to slam her head on the desk sometimes.

The  _questioning (no, it was not an interrogation, not on Kyoko)_  lasted little more than an hour - half of which was spent consoling Kyoko about her parents and that big monkey, who will definitely be fine.

" _I bet you they'll find him challenging any of those things he can find in a boxing match."_

" _Hana-"_

" _He'll insist on doing it properly in the ring, too. I can see it already, and then he'll come back yelling that he had had 'extremely extreme' matches, which he won, of course, the big monkey."_

Kyoko had giggled, hiccuped, and blew her nose into her handkerchief. It wasn't anywhere near her usual sunny smile, but Hana counted it as a win.

It was harder than pulling teeth, but Hana always got what she wanted to know, eventually.

_Sawada Tsunayoshi. More than what he appears to be._

On Kyoko's request, one of the few Disciplinary Committee members led them to the second-to-last classroom down the corridor. Inside there was a mess of odd and ends, miscellaneous papers, and a big radio piled onto several tables at the front of the classroom. The monkey they were looking for laid on a table at the back, legs hanging off the side. The mother was nowhere to be seen.

Kyoko picked her way over easily enough, that  _look_  in her eyes again the moment she saw Dame-Tsuna.  _Oh wait, it's Tsunayoshi now, isn't it?_

"Hana, do you think we can pull up another table? Tsuna-kun must be so uncomfortable sleeping like this," Kyoko didn't wait for a confirmation, already moving away.

Hana didn't bother to help Kyoko. It was something the other girl needed, anyways. Kyoko's caretaker nature meant that she was always most soothed and happy when she is able to take care of others, be it human or even the occasional animal. If it helped Kyoko feel better, Hana had no objections.

Instead Hana observed the unconscious monkey. Honestly, with the obvious lack of care he was left with here, Hana was surprised at not having found the boy on the floor instead. He was on his side, unruly hair falling into his face, hiding the usually spineless  _(timid)_  expressions. Tsunayoshi's arms and legs were splayed haphazardly as if he was a rag doll cast carelessly aside. The huge blood splatters on his school uniform completed the illusion of frightful fragility that Hana suspect was anything but.

"Hana, help me lift Tsuna-kun's legs?" Kyoko asked.

Reluctantly, Hana grabbed what little fabric of the trousers that weren't blood-stained, lifting first the right, then the left leg while Kyoko pushed the tables together. She wasn't very surprised to find that Tsunayoshi probably weighed three-fourths of the weight monkeys his age usually do, slight as he was. His feet were definitely smaller than average.

The door slid open with a quiet rumble.

Huffing and puffing, a Disciplinary Committee member toppled into the room, arms laden with huge black boxes and a big, clunky, laptop under his arm. Pompadour bobbing furiously, the boy slammed everything down on the teacher's table up front.

Puffing out a breath in relief, he wiped at his face and neck, "Now to set this all up…"

Hana gave a polite cough.

The prefect jumped about a foot into the air. " _Holy moth_ \- Who are you, why are you two here?!"

Before Hana or Kyoko could answer, the boy spotted Tsuna laid out behind them.

"Oh yeah, damn, totally forgot about him. He okay? I kind of hope so - I want to see another showdown between him and Kaicho! But also kind of not, because I don't want to die via trying too hard not to laugh," the boy leaned on the chair beside him, hands gesturing wildly as he talked.

Hana couldn't fathom what the Disciplinary Committee member was getting at. Why was he rambling at them? What did he see? What is he thinking?

Kyoko was the one to answer, "Tsuna-kun's still resting, Prefect-san."

The boy scratched his neck, turning to fiddle with the pile of knick-knacks on the table, opening up the bulky laptop, and pulling a bunch of wires from the black boxes he brought in. "Nah, just call me Kaguya. You're pretty cute, you know that? Wouldn't mind a girlfriend like you too."

Immediately, Hana could feel her hackles rise, and she snapped out at the stupid monkey.

"If you think you can throw around disrespectful comments like that, _idiot monkey_ , you've got another thing coming, you-"

  
"Hana," Kyoko winced. "Be polite, I'm sure Kaguya-senpai didn't mean anything bad. Right, senpai?"

The disrespectful monkey shrugged, completely unbothered.

"Take it however you want to, it's fine. More than fine, really. Don't mind me, I just talk too much sometimes, you know? And then stuff happens, and I keep talking to make things more awkward, at least until someone comes and stop me," he rambled distractedly, fingers blurring with the speed he was putting all the wires and devices together.

Hana took a scant second to assess the prefect before coming to a conclusion. Semi-harmless.

"What are you doing right now?" she interrupted Kaguya's increasingly off-tangent spiel.

"Erm, just normal stuff. Radios, and stuff. Hey do you want to hear about that time the second Japanese special forces – second because they somehow lost the first one, became so secret that they didn't actually know what happened to it, can you believe it?" he chortles as Hana stared on.

"Anyways, so the Japanese  _second_  special forces, clashed in a three-way with the Chinese drug busters and those snazzy Western super spies in Saitama? Totally  _wrecked_  the commuter lines and half the prefecture's electricity for weeks! Man, that one was hilarious as shit, let me tell you," before Kaguya could continue, someone knocked on the door.

… _What in the world was he talking about?_

A woman poked her head in, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything! I want to check on my Tsuna, you see."

It was Tsunayoshi's mother.

"No probs, no problem, I need to get going anyway. Don't know why we need to set up double, there's only one me and I can't be in two places at once anyways so if you lose me both will be useless, contingency plans down the drain. But does anyone listen? No, no they don't." Kaguya edged passed the woman, nudging the door open. "Ah, well, help yourself, please let me pass - yes thank you very much, see you all later bye!"

The door slid shut.

"Ara? Are you Tsuna's friend too? Thank you for looking after my son," the woman smiled at her fondly. It was such a soft expression, Hana was momentarily stumped that it was aimed her way.

"Me? No, I mean, I'm Kyoko's friend, so I'm just here with her."

Kyoko seemed happy to see the woman, "Mama, there you are! Do you need any help with that?" She reached out for the backpack Tsunayoshi's mother was carrying.

"Oh no, it's fine, just some change of clothes for Tsu-kun," she jerked a hand in a dismissive gesture, setting the bag down under the tables.

Hana pulled up a chair, "Sawada-san, you can sit down here."

The woman beamed at Hana in a manner that was vaguely familiar, "Thank you so much, you're such a nice girl! Please, call me Mama."

Hana only pulled up the corner of her lips in a practiced smile but said nothing.

She watched as the woman pulled out a piece of clothing from the bag, rolling it up and lifting her son's head to place it as a makeshift pillow. She smoothed back Tsunayoshi's hair, hands gentle and eyes soft.

There was something in her eyes, in her every touch, that makes Hana feel like she was an intruder on a private thing, a secret that perhaps only parents who truly know their child from the inside-out would know. Hana had seen it, sometimes, in the Sasagawas. More Kyoko's mother than her father, expressed in small actions every day - exactly like how Sawada Nana was looking at her son.

_This is my child. Mine. And I know something about him that no one else does._

It was proud, strong, and soft. There was a quiet knowledge, a belief in that gaze that looked upon the sleeping boy. Hana felt an old ache in her twang.

She looked away, grabbing hold of Kyoko's hand. Kyoko squeezed her hand in habit, and Hana felt better.

Nana shifted her son's shoulders so that he laid properly on his side, and there was a moment that the boy groaned softly, the first stirrings of wakefulness arising, but he only curled up, hands tucked under his chin, then sunk back into sleep, features smoothing into peacefulness.

Kyoko whispered, "Tsuna-kun is so cute, Hana."

It was only because Hana knew Kyoko meant it as the cuteness of a fluffy small animal and not appreciation of a monkey that Hana nodded, conceding that yes, in that moment she could see it too.

Children were annoying, more so because of their ridiculous naivety, but when quiet in the embrace of sweet dreams - Hana could tentatively say that there are some children that wouldn't make her break out in hives. It was a little strange to relate this to stupid, naive children, but Hana supposed it was the closest she could get without getting to know more about Sawada Tsunayoshi.

"Ahh, I guess I'll have to change his clothes later. Tsu-kun needs his rest," Nana said, voice barely above a whisper as she zipped up the bag. She looked at the two girls, "Do you girls think you can help me with cleaning up and putting away the things we've brought from home?"

"Sure."

"Yes, Mama."

Nana led the girls to the next classroom over, in which the two other bags were already half-unpacked. There were crates and boxes piled up near the door.

"Oh, those boys earlier wanted to hear about my morning, so I told them while I was unpacking. What a mess!"

Hana opened one of the cardboard boxes and found that it was filled with packaged onigiri, likely from the small cafeteria they have. Namimori Middle's cafeteria only provides lunch for the teachers and sold these kinds of packaged food that has a longer shelf life to the students, mostly ones who didn't have food brought from home.

It was methodical, but easy work. It was nice to chat with Nana-san (just call me Mama, Hana-chan), and before they knew it they were done. Just in time too, as the rest of the Disciplinary Committee led by Hibari Kyoya returned with the rescued students and teachers, along with more odds and ends- is that an ax over that monkey's shoulder?!

"KYOKO!"

"Nii-san!"

"KYOKO!"

_"Nii-san!"_

_"KYOKO!"_

Hana covered her eyes. Ryohei looked like he never wanted to let go of his sister, and Kyoko looked happy to be half-hugged to death. Not that Hana blamed them, but… she can't stand tears.

Observing the Disciplinary Committee moving everything they have into the classroom that has been converted into a storage room, Hana was about to stop the idiot monkeys when one of their members called out, "Wait, not there! Tools and other weaponry supplies, to 2-D! Don't mix them with the food!"

At least one of them have some sense.

"YOSH!" Ryohei suddenly punched the air. "I will thank Sawada with all I can, to the EXTREME!" Obviously, Kyoko had told him what happened.

"Keep it down, you big monkey. And get into the classroom," she poked.

Hana spared a glance at the monsters gathered at the front gates, thirsting to crawl into her school and eat all the people inside, before she whipped around and walked into 2-B, right in time to be screamed in the face.

" _PLEASE! SAVE MY PARENTS!"_

"She's  _in danger_  out there!"

It was a downright mess. Half the students up against the Disciplinary Committee members, screaming and crying. The other half hunching down at their desks, cowering and crying. Literally everywhere Hana looked there were tears. She could feel the vein pulsing at her temple.

Kyoko bumped into her, their heads knocking together.

"Oww, Hana?"

"You're the DC,  _do SOMETHING!_ "

_Out of their minds, all of them._ Hana pushed Kyoko back, slotting herself firmly between her friend and the classroom door.

The Disciplinary Committee member speaking was doing a lackluster job of placating the students, "Calm down, we have everything under control, please follow procedures," the boy tried, but he was utterly drowned out by the cries of the students.

"What's going on, Hana?" Kyoko strained to see what was going on inside, but Hana was taller and she deliberately blocked her view.

Pulling on her friend's sleeve, Kyoko queried, "Hana, let me see-"

"NO! YOU CAN'T KEEP US HERE! I WANT TO GO HOME!"

"Bunch of idiots," Hana surmised, twisting away, grabbing Kyoko's hand and pulling her away from the classroom. "We don't want to get into this, Kyoko. Let's go."

Clearly at wits' end, the Disciplinary Committee member yelled to the ones outside, "Call Kaicho! we need him to contain the situation here."

"But, Hana-" Kyoko persisted, despite following behind Hana obediently.

"Big monkey!" Hana called, and the boxer immediately joined her and started pushing Kyoko by the shoulders down the corridor.

"Kyoko! I am EXTREMELY hungry! I am starving! I EXTREMELY need food, right now!"

Immediately distracted, Kyoko went into complete caretaker mode, turning around and hustling Ryohei into the next classroom over instead.

"Here, Nii-san, you can take a few of these onigiris here for your late breakfast, I think, and…"

Hana huffed,  _idiots, the lot of them. The DC better handle it before Kyoko goes back or the big monkey suddenly makes the connection._

Hana knew her best friend likely hadn't fully taken in the situation, and she planned to put off the inevitable meltdown as long as possible. As for herself… as it is, there isn't anything to be done, and she would endeavor to put it entirely out of her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, when I created Kaguya, I was aware that the name was very familiar, but can't quite remember where it was from. Figures. And sorry for the mix-up of female/male names, but author has thought about it and still decided that Kaguya it is. At least Shizumi has a commiserating buddy on effeminate names now *cough*
> 
> Kaguya's basically DC's 'tech guy'. Since, you know, the only canon available tech guy in Namimori is... hmm.   
> Fun fact: Kaguya's online ID is almost always 'PrinceOfMoon'.
> 
> Quick question: Guess who's gonna be featuring next chapter XD


	9. Viii: Takeshi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part Four of the side arc as seen through other characters' eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sniff* The past week had been horrible. Being sick and deadlines do not mix well, and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, even if I had one. *cough*
> 
> So here's the last part of Chapter 5! The next update would be on the 1st of December! Seemed I made some calculation mistake, so we'll actually last till the end of December instead of November. For now, maybe even half of January if I keep updating weekly. And though no one guessed whose POV it'll be this time, I know some of you have been asking after him. 
> 
> Without further ado, enter Yamamoto Takeshi/

He couldn't say that the day had been any fun.  _Always smile_ , his mother had told him.  _I like seeing you smile when you have fun playing. It makes me want to smile, too._  So he did. Afterwards, it wasn't his mum that needed his smile, it was his dad, and then it was his friends that would say he looked weird without his bright smile, and the people around him that would become quiet and uneasy when he stops smiling.

_Because there's something scary wrong about you when you don't smile, Takecchan._

It becomes habit after that.

When he was younger, he needs to keep reminding himself.  _Smile, smile, smile_.  _As bright as I can, because people feel better when I do._  He keeps up that mantra throughout preschool, throughout elementary school, where he found something really, really worth smiling for - and boy was he glad that he did, discovering baseball was like finding a  _lifeline_  to hang onto-, and now even in middle school, he smiles brightly.

His father teased him once, about how  _happy_  he looks while helping out in the restaurant.

_"Isn't it natural that I like working with you, old man?"_

_Tsuyoshi snorted. "Not when you're cleaning out fish guts. You look manic."_

_He just laughed, almost reaching to rub the back of his neck with a stinking hand._

_"Guess it's just how I look, dad."_

_His dad chuckled, "We'll find a job that you can't laugh at son, just you wait."_

_"Does that mean I can finally help with stuff other than cleaning up?"_

_"Kami no, I still want my business to stay alive until I decide to retire!"_

_Takeshi laughed at Tsuyoshi's playful glare, knowing quite well that he's unlikely to take over his dad's sushi bar. He knew that it was very unlikely he'll ever stop smiling for his father._

He doesn't even need to think about it now, and his face drops into that crowd-favorite smile as soon as he wakes from sleep, right up until he falls back into bed at night. It's nothing he even consciously thinks about, smiling brightly is as easy and instinctive as breathing.

It's not acting when you genuinely aren't aware that you are.

Figures that not even a month into middle school, something big happens, and for the first time since Watanari-chan in first grade told him that he seems scary wrong when he doesn't smile, he can drop the smile without anyone finding it weird.

But there is a problem.

_Human-eating monsters. Just had to be human-eating monsters, dad._

Takeshi thinks that he should feel contrite for having the insane urge to laugh as he and the other members on the baseball field ran away from  _human-eating_   _monsters_. He came to have early practice as usual with a few of his team members, and it was all going swell before the screaming started, and when he finally focused back into his surroundings from another home run hit, it was to a resounding "RUUUN!" from one of his friends.

 _The human-eating monsters were pretty slow,_  Takeshi thought absently.

All of them were heading towards the sports center, together with some other people not from the baseball team. Takeshi recognized the star from track and field, a second year named Akahoshi Satori.

Their shoes squeak against the polished floor, as the group of them charged into the sports center, doors banging hard against the wall with the force.

"Close the door,  _close it_! FASTER!" someone yelled, and Takeshi rushed forward with a few others, scrambling to close the wide-open doors. He could see them, the  _human-eating monsters_  shuffling and awkwardly lurching their way towards them, around twenty meters off.

"Haha, no need to shout, they're still so far away!" he laughed as he latched the lock on the inside.

With the doors closed, the entire sports center was plunged into total darkness, broken only by the intermittent rays of patchy sunlight from the dusty skylights high above. The students gathered together near the back of the large space, instinct driving them to squeeze into the underneath the light.

"Wow, it's so dark in here!" Takeshi reached a hand into the few rays of light, wiggling his fingers creating funny-shaped shadows on the ground. Fine dust particles floating through the air were in plain sight under the dim light. "You can see how dusty the air is!"

Takeshi wondered about the silence from the others aside from their heavy breathing, which made no sense since they didn't even run  _that_  much.  _Could it be because of the human-eating monsters outside? Haha,_ human-eating monsters  _sound even funnier the more I say it._

"...Yamamoto, it's not funny."

_They are looking at me weird. But I'm still smiling, aren't I?_

"Ehh? Why? It's okay, right? We locked the door and everything," scratching the back of his head, Takeshi wondered if the emergency exits were also closed and locked.

"Quit smiling like that! What's wrong with you?!" That was from Akahoshi.

"Yamamoto, those things were trying to  _eat_  us!"

There was a sob, and everyone turned to see another student crouched on the floor. "You guys... you guys didn't see, but Izuki...he- one  _got_  him, and-  _he-_ " his voice hitched, and another boy crouched down to placate him.

Akahoshi's whole body was trembling. Takeshi could see the tremors traveling up and down his arms. His voice, when he spoke, was lowered into a harsh whisper, "What is happening outside? Will we...will we  _die_?"

The boy that was sobbing got louder.

Everyone had lowered their head, or were staring at each other, horrified. Takeshi thought that it was all very dramatic, like those anime shows he used to watch when he was younger, before there was no more time for it because of baseball.

"Eh, it's alright now, right? I mean, the human-eating monsters are locked outside, and as long as we run faster, they won't catch us! It's just like playing catch, haha!"

The sobbing stopped, and everyone instead turned to look at him.

Takeshi stared at the others, and they looked back at him like they're seeing something for the very first time.

"There's something wrong with you, Yamamoto. Stop smiling."

For the first time since Watanari-chan in first grade told him that he seems scary wrong when he doesn't smile, he can drop the smile without anyone finding it weird.

But there is a problem.

_There's something scary wrong about you when you don't smile, Takecchan._

_There's something wrong with you, Yamamoto. Stop smiling._

There used to be only something wrong with him when he doesn't smile, but now there is  _also_ something wrong with him when he does. Which one does he choose; to smile, or not to smile?

Takeshi just wanted to make the people around him feel better, like he did with mum. Like he did with his father.

 _After Mum, I smiled for Dad._ An image of his father floated to the front of his eyes, Tsuyoshi chiding him over homework or something of that nature.

_"Haha, okay, okay. I'll get it done now. Geez, you sure can nag!"_

_"Well, who's the only one that needs nagging in this house?"_

_"Ooh, I admit to that, haha."_

_"Good to know. Go on, after that you can come help out in the restaurant by cleaning up the tables."_

_"Haha, no problem, old man!"_

_"Laugh away, you shrimp. Laugh away. You better get good grades this time, I tell you!"_

_"Ahh, so demanding!"_

More important than anyone else, he smiled for his dad. Nothing his dad said had ever implied him to stop smiling.

Besides, like his dad always say:  _"It's not an issue of what you should do; it's an issue of what you want to do."_

Takeshi shrugged, "Why should I?"

Disregarding the upset vibes from the others, Takeshi instead stretched his arms, pulling that tired muscles taut, then relaxing. He did just finish training after all. Need to do his cool down exercises.

"...You- It's just unnatural, Yamamoto."

He could see eyes twitching. That looks kind of funny, too.

"Ahh, if you say so. Neh, Akahoshi-senpai, are the other side doors locked? They're push-open doors, right?"

Dead silence answered him.

A boy piped up, "Did- did anyone check?"

Sideways glances were exchanged, and the nervous energy in the air spiked.

"We should..."

Something moved in the dark. A scuff of shoes on polished wood.

"Waah, so-something's there!" Everyone heard the stage whisper, and Takeshi wondered why there was a need to whisper in the first place; they were standing in plain sight. He stepped backwards into the dark, letting his eyes adjust. It wasn't fair game if they have low visibility compared to the opposite team.

Blinking his eyes, Takeshi missed the first attack, as one of the  _human-eating monsters_ staggered into the light, hands raised to grab  _(seize, drag, pull them towards-),_ and everyone scattered, screaming at the top of their lungs.

Everyone except the boy who was crouching down on the floor. Startled, Takeshi took a moment to register that the boy wasn't moving and the human-eating monster is  _right there_. Takeshi ran towards him, reaching out-

There weren't any sobs from to boy now, as he stared at the advancing figure, and when he got caught he just let out a tiny  _meep_ , and then-

_Chomp._

Takeshi skidded to an abrupt halt, right out of reach. He didn't go further, there was no way he could do anything now. The boy let out a wet gurgle, made weak pawing motions at the  _human-eating monster_ tearing out the soft flesh at his throat, but fell motionless in seconds.

It had happened too fast; there wasn't any time for Takeshi to react. He saw every single move, but in his mind he knew that even if he had acted  _instantly_ , he... still wouldn't have made it.

The  _human-eating monster_  was crouched over the body of its newest prey, long, blunt nails scrambling aimlessly at the gaping hole at the junction between the boy's neck and shoulders, pulling out more soft flesh that glistened bright red under the light rays. The  _human-eating monster (aka HEM)_ shoved the stringy meat into its mouth, then lowered itself to dig in wholeheartedly into its feast.

It was soon joined by another, this one who looks like somebody's grandma, but it grabbed an arm and bit off a huge chunk, chewing ravenously. The other HEM ignored the new-comer, and continued on with the neck, working its way down to the shoulder and arm.

Takeshi slowly backed away.  _I need to get to higher ground. I need- a ladder. The storeroom!_

But wait. The others-

" _RUN!"_

"It's here! They're INSIDE!"

" _HAITO!_ THEY'RE  _EATING_  HIM!"

The spacious center had erupted into cacophonous pounding footsteps and frantic screams, echoed and amplified, winging through the air.

_They're like, what's it called again? Ah right - headless chickens._

Takeshi's back hit the door to the storeroom. "Stop running, everyone come over here!" Waving his arms, Takeshi tried to catch the others' attention. They're all scattered at the very edges of the sports center, and someone edged too far.

A slam of doors opening outwards, light spilled in, and the silhouette of a boy falling backward out of the center could be seen for a second before the doors swung inwards again. Then outwards, then inwards.

" _AAARRRRG_!"

The door was thrown inwards, and tall, lurching silhouettes stepped inside the sports center.

"Lock the door, LOCK THE DOOR!"

" _NOO_!"

Another boy got caught. Takeshi ignored everything else and pulled open the door behind him to enter the storeroom. Spying the folded ladder at the side, Takeshi hauled it over his shoulder, dragging it out.

Snagging a boy running past by the back of his shirt, Takeshi called out loudly, "Hey, help me here! Let's climb up to the windows!"

"Wha- You sure? No, never mind. Okay, okay, alright." Akahoshi, as the boy turned out to be babbled incoherently, but he helped Takeshi haul the ladder over to the wall, and prop it up under a window.

"Up, up! Climb!" Takeshi urged Akahoshi up the ladder, and they climbed higher towards to dusty skylights.

The other side door was pushed opened, as more human-eating monsters spilled into the building. More screams, high and terrified, pierced through the air.

"Senpai, open the window!"

"It's stuck!" Akahoshi fiddled with the rusted latch, and banged his fist against the window pane,

"Let me, you call the others," Takeshi shoved Akahoshi to the side, and maneuvered himself upwards, swaying the ladder dangerously.

"WATCH IT! I'm gonna fall!"

"Oh, be careful, Akahoshi-senpai. Call the others," he repeated. From the on-going screams, Takeshi assumed that there was still students running around. He inspected the rusting latch, and climbed higher, wedging his leg in the top-most rung of the ladder, and holding on tight to the top of the window pane. Balancing precariously, Takeshi swung his leg back, and smashed it into the latch. Once, twice, thrice, and the latch twisted and bent, until at last it popped open, and the skylight swung outwards with a squeaky  _creak_.

Bright sunlight shone on his face, warming Takeshi down to his very bones. Blinking out the sunspots dancing in his eyes, he looked back down at Akahoshi. "Let's go, up to the roof!"

Another two boys had climbed up the ladder with them, but the ladder wasn't  _that_  long. They kept nudging and shoving each other, straining to climb higher, out of reach of the HEMs prowling on the ground. Perhaps sensing that their prey is going to escape, the slow-moving bodies have gathered around the bottom of the ladder, like piranhas circling bait in water. Except, they are crowding too much, and the ladder is shaking, treacherously close to toppling.

Takeshi slipped outside, spied a handhold further up, grab hold, and climbed. "Come on, go go go! It's easy, like  _ippu-ippu grargh_ on the playground obstacle!"

" _Shut up,_ Yamamoto!" Akahoshi yelled, frazzled nerves snapping. He quickly climbed out, following Takeshi's directions, climbing up onto the roof.

It was dry, and somewhat dirty. There were odd nick-knacks lying abandoned around the roof. Several old shuttlecocks, a racket even, and the odd exercise book and pieces of chalk. A single moldy sock accompanied a sad-looking volleyball in the far corner.

Takeshi surveyed the scene on top of the sports center roof, not looking at anything  _below_. He had enough to go on based on sound alone. Behind him, Akahoshi sprawled carelessly on a patch of grime on the roof floor, panting harshly, chest heaving.

Below them in the sports center, the screaming pitched into a whole new range, drawing into a low, hopeless keen before dying off.

"Akahoshi-senpai, where are the other guys?"

"...What?"

Takeshi peered carefully at Akahoshi, the older boy had propped himself up into a sitting position, limbs still trembling from the adrenaline rush.

Takeshi pulled a curious face.

"Do you think those human-eating monsters can climb ladders, senpai?"

"...Wh-who knows?"

"Hmm...I wonder..." Takeshi trailed off, and from Kawamura's rapidly paling face, he knew the face he was making probably didn't fit the carefree tone of his voice.

_There's something scary wrong about you when you don't smile, Takecchan._

Scratching his cheek with a finger, Takeshi settled down near the ledge. Might as well sit down to wait, since they're stuck up here for now. Another scream, and Takeshi hadn't counted, but he could guess how many students were still in there. It won't be long now, until all there remained is silence.

He didn't look down at the window ledge, but he knew there would be no more people coming, and no more ladder.

After the screaming from inside subsided, after all the chaos quieted down with only carnage left in its wake, Takeshi scanned over the school field from his high vantage point. Many of the human-eating monsters have found prey, those that didn't were sharing with others that did. He  _did_  see one other fellow sportsman, shuffling about down on the field. The boy's white gym shirt was drenched in red.

They didn't have to wait too long - an hour or two tops - before a large group in black appeared in Takeshi's view. The Disciplinary Committee, led by none other than the Demon of Namimori itself. Takeshi watched as the members formed cool formations, taking out the prowling HEMs systematically.

Akahoshi jumped and waved at them, shouting to catch their attention. He hadn't needed to - they had already spotted the two on the roof of the sports center and are coming to get them. In no time at all, they were brought down and were ushered into the middle of the circle, closed in and protected by the Disciplinary Committee.

Takeshi laughed as he thanked them, "Haha, you all really saved us! We'd be stuck up there cloud gazing the entire day if you hadn't come!"

Akahoshi mumbled a 'thank you' too, but didn't say anything else. He remained subdued the entire way as the Disciplinary Committee worked through the sports center, the club rooms, and all other places in Namimori Middle, clearing up the HEMs, rescuing students as they go. There weren't many to be rescued, truth to be told.

Akahoshi hadn't attempted to speak to Takeshi again on the roof, but Takeshi himself was hyper-aware of the other boy's every movement. Takeshi knew desperation, knew panic, but that didn't mean he could  _understand_  it.

So he kept away, and that was that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The past two chapters have been a little quiet, so I hope this one would get you back into survival mode! Fair warning, it's gonna ramp up all the way from here on XD
> 
> Don't forget to leave a comment to tell me what you think/


	10. VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are not as calm as they seem to be. Were things really calm at all?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok... another update. Here we're focusing on how the other students and teachers are fairing through the eyes of a 'civilian'. There are hints for what's going to happen next, too. 
> 
> My laptop's broken down. Again. Until I get it back from the service center in two weeks or so, it's really hard for me to make final edits on a different computer, and there's bound to be mistaken here and there. Please bear with me for a while. 
> 
> I'm not sure when the next update will be, but hopefully not too long. This is about a third of chapter six, and I don't think I can cut off any other place in the chapter, so maybe an update on the 15th? Or not, since I'll be on vacay then. Oh well, we'll see.

She was in a thick fog, she cannot move, cannot feel her limbs. Sara breathed in, but there was no air. Luminous lights stream across her vision - it was dizzying, yet she cannot look away. She cannot feel anything, except for a deep-seated, oppressing terror tearing through her veins. There was someone screaming. It sounded far away; it was right in her ears. Another scream - a name this time. Or the screams were always names and she didn't listen close enough. Sara strained her ears, eyes peering into murky darkness.

The indistinct screams were getting louder. There was something- someone, emerging from the thick fog. Sara could see hands and feet splayed awkwardly. The screams were getting louder. It was screaming a name, over and over again. Sara knew that name, she knew it, she does.

The humanoid shape floated into clear sight. Expression petrified, limbs twisted and mangled, mouth opened impossibly wide, and-

_"Shinichi!! Nii-san, save me!!"_

Then she fell back into the murky darkness.

"-an, Sa-chan," she woke to the sound of her name being called, a hand on her forehead.

"Urgh...Yuuki?" Sara sluggishly blinked away the moisture gathering in her eyes, blurring her friend's face and her surroundings.

"Wha-?"

"Sa-chan, are you crying?" Yuuki gasped, poking at Sara's cheeks.

"Eh? I-I... think so." She pushed her friend's hands aside, wiping at her eyes. Her hand came away stained with tears. Sara knew she had a dream just now - a nightmare. She couldn't remember the dream clearly, but... she remembered it was about her brother. Shinichi. _Where are you, Nii-san? Are you safe? Please be safe, and sound. Please._

"Sa-chan, here," a wrapped packet was waved in her face, and Sara grabbed for it blindly, crinkling plastic in her grip. Plastic, and seaweed. Onigiri.

"It's from the canteen. The DC brought them up just now. I thought there would be dorayaki since today's Thursday, but the mean boy I asked said no." Yuuki plopped down beside her. Sara looked around. There were double the amount of students. Those that are mostly wearing gym clothes or club uniform. There were also teachers, four, to be exact.

The four teachers that were in the classroom sat together with the students, but more towards the front of the classroom. She saw Haruhi-sensei right away. Haruhi-sensei taught Japanese Literature, and it was her best subject. Shiro-sensei taught her social studies last year, and she was disappointed when the soft-spoken man did not continue to teach her class this new school year.

"Yuuki," she mumbled. "Is this everyone? The entire school..."

The small girl nibbled at her onigiri. "I'm not really sure, but, I think so...?"

Everyone was eating, but the mood in the air was subdued, almost sullen. There was a vibe in the air, a low buzzing of restlessness that runs rampant and makes her head heavy and limbs jittery.

_This room feels empty. Not even half filled._

"Eat it, Sa-chan. It's to fill your stomach, not for you to squeeze it to death. Poor onigiri. I chose your favorite, too." Yuuki pouted cutely at her.

Normally it would make Sara laugh, but she didn't feel like it right now. Sara loosened her hold, realizing that she had been unconsciously clenching her fist. She looked down at the onigiri. It was really squished.

"...Sorry, Yuuki."

"Mhm," Yuuki shook her head, chewing on her own onigiri. "It's A-okay!"

Sara unwrapped the plastic, crinkling it even more. She took a bite, the burst of flavour unfurling as she chewed was followed by a settling taste of familiarity she didn't know she needed until it was spreading on her tongue. Tuna.

Chewing slowly, she savored the taste of her comfort food. "Thank you, Yuuki. You're the best."

Yuuk giggled, getting up and patting her skirt down. "I think I can sneak another one. Tuna?"

Sara nodded, mouth too full to speak.

"But you have to eat faster, DC says we have to rearrange all the tables and chairs, okay?"

 _Why?_ But Sara didn't voice her question aloud. If the Disciplinary Committee said so, then there's no point asking. It must be for the best anyway.

People were already standing up and starting to arrange the tables and chairs when Sara finished her last bite. Yuuki said that a Disciplinary Committee member had told them to move a small space in the middle, then push together a few tables so that they could place some food and water in the middle. Sara wasn't hungry anymore, and she felt she wouldn't be for a while, but her throat was parched, so she was looking forward to drinking water.

It was a noisy mess, with tables and chairs being pushed and pulled around, their metal and plastic legs dragging on the tiled floor. But Sara was near to where the teachers were, and she heard Haruhi-sensei speak to Touma-sensei. Her tone was sharp and clipped, Sara had never heard Haruhi-sensei sounding so mean. She looked at the others, but she was the first person to notice. Sara tried to ignore her teachers' conversation - it's not hers to listen to. There are things she is better off being ignorant to, and this is one of it.

Still, Haruhi-sensei's words carried themselves right to her ears.

"It's your fault." It was said in deadly seriousness.

"Wha- what did you say?" Touma-sensei fumbled with the plastic chairs he was moving.

"I said. It. Was. _You."_

Touma-sensei's expression changed, and he clammed up. "I have no idea what you're saying."

Haruhi-sensei slammed down a palm on a table. "You dare?! You dare deny it?!"

The other students were starting to notice the commotion.

"Shut up, _shut up."_ Touma-sensei put down the chairs heavily.

"No!"

Shiro-sensei started, eyes flicking back and forth between the two teachers.

Sara wanted to back away. She wanted Shiro-sensei to stop whatever is happening.  _Move, move. I don't want to be here._

"You killed Saeko-sensei!"

No one moved.

Touma-sensei's voice rose in tandem. "I said _sh_ _ut up!!_ "

"YOU KILLED SAEKO-SENSEI!!" Haruhi-sensei gesticulating wildly.

"I said SHUT UP!! I didn't kill her!! _I DID NOT!!_ "

"You left _us_ to be EATEN!!"

Sara remembered the student in the courtyard. The sickening squelch of tearing flesh and the crunch of bones under blunt, human teeth. She wanted to clamp down on her memories, hold her head in her hands and squeeze away the sounds she keeps hearing, but she stays frozen.

"I'm not going to just lie down and _DIE!!_ I didn't kill anyone! _"_

"You locked us out!! You locked Saeko-sensei out for her to _die !!"_

"I DID NOT FUCKING KILL ANYONE!!! There were monsters coming so I ran!! What's wrong with that?!"

"What is wron- What is _wrong_ \- _YOU are the monster here, Touma!_ How dare you-"

"I just want to _live_ _!!_ Everyone has the right to live! WHY CAN'T I?!! WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME LIKE THIS?! I CAN RIGHT?!! "

" _RIGHT?!!_ " Frantic eyes threw about the room for friendly faces, desperate and spitting fire.

Sara flinched. This was not the Touma-sensei she knew. But he has the same face. This crazed person is wearing the face of a familiar and trustworthy teacher, teeth barred and spittle flying. 

Sara feels cold, her fingers numb. This is not her teacher. 

Haruhi-sensei was so mad, her entire face was a blotchy red. There were tears of righteous fury. "You _lowlife!!_ You would leave others to die just so you can live?!! COWARD! SCUM!!" Haruhi-sensei was livid, but her accusations stirred more anger in Touma-sensei.

"YOU WOULD DO THE _SAME THING_ IF YOU WERE ME!!!"

_Wham._

Touma-sensei rocked back from being socked in the nose, stumbling. He gave a scream, clutching at his nose. There was blood flowing down his hands.

"Guh _BISHHH!!!_ Gua ish uckki nguang ish guu??!"

Sara got the gist of the incoherent curses, something along the lines of 'bitch' and 'fucking wrong with you'. His words were completely incoherent through his likely broken nose, but he kept blubbering out insults and curses.

"What?! Do you think that's not enough?!!" Haruhi-sensei raised another fist menacingly, everything in her stance down to the flicker in her eyes presented a real, dangerous threat.

"Haruhi-sensei, please, the students-" Shiro-sensei finally spoke up, his words so soft and meek compared to the screaming match going on. Koda-sensei was crossing the room, trying to get nearer. But not trying hard enough. He was too slow. 

"WHAT?!" Haruhi-sensei rounded on poor Shiro-sensei, but stopped short at the placating hands that were raised in defense. "What do you _want_ ?! Because _clearly_ I'm the only one who care!! Saeko-sensei was - she was right in front of me, banging on the door, screaming her lungs out for Touma-sensei to _open the door_ but-" she choked off.

Sara could see more tears. Haruhi-sensei was facing Shiro-sensei, but her eyes were clouded, they were seeing something that clearly isn't here, something horrible that has already happened. She grasped tightly onto Shiro-sensei, shaking the man by his shoulders.

 _"-HE_ _didn't open the door!!_ He DIDN'T _!! And she was TORN TO PIECES!!"_ Haruhi-sensei choked out.

Shiro-sensei gulped, wavering. Still, slowly reached up to push down Haruhi-sensei's hands, "I... I know how you feel, Haruhi-sensei. Saeko-sensei wasn't only your friend, she was my colleague too. A-and, she didn't deserve that. Nezu-sensei didn't deserve that either. You didn't too. But it already happened, and- and we just have to _deal_."

Sara could see that it wasn't easy on Shiro-sensei. His voice was strained and pleading. He was hesitating, stuttering too much; his had his back to Sara, and she couldn't see his face, but she could see Haruhi-sensei's and how her lips were wobbling, red-rimmed eyes scrunching up.

Sara felt her own lips wobbling too. It was scary- her teachers, two adults she respected, fighting. Yelling and hitting each other. She didn't know what to do, no one is doing anything. In this half-filled room, Sara felt small and alone. People who should be reassuring her, taking charge- adults, authority figures, _teachers_ were fighting each other over something Sara didn't even want to think about.

 _It's not fair,_ a small voice in her wailed. _It's not fair. I don't want this._

Haruhi-sensei scanned the room once again, and for a split-second, Sara met the dark-brown eyes of her favorite teacher. Haruhi-sensei didn't blink, she just looked sad. All the anger dissipated out of her frame, and she seemed to sag where she stood.

She made a sound between a sigh and a painful moan. "Touma-sensei, you... you're right. I'm just making things worse and scaring the students _gosh what am I doing_?" Sara couldn't hear the end of what Haruhi-sensei mouthed but she could guess. Sara sniffed. She wanted to grab Yuuki's hand, but her friend was all the way across the room. She wanted to reach out to Yuuki but the teachers-

 _"Arrgghh!!!_ "

Students screamed in panic and backed further away, as Sara focused back on the scene _(_ __o_ ne second of inattention and what? What's happeni ng? _ _)_ as Koda-sensei football-tackled Touma-sensei to the ground in a mess of grunts and muffled profanities. Haruhi-sensei was howling in pain, holding the side of her head in her hands with scrapes down her right arm, Shiro-sensei in the middle of it all with his back to Haruhi-sensei, shielding her from the two men fighting for dominance. A plastic chair that wasn't there before was lying on the ground at Shiro-sensei's feet.

 _What just happened? Did- did Touma-sensei just hit Haruhi-sensei with the chair? W-what?! Why? Someone, someone_ do _something! Yuuki! Yuuki, where are you?!_

"Hey, hey! I don't think you should get mixed into that." A hand patted her on the shoulder. Sara started. She didn't even realize that she was aiming to walk straight into the teachers' fight.

Touma-sensei was still beneath Koda-sensei, face pressed into the hard concrete, breathing heavily, like a maddened animal. Shiro-sensei was comforting Haruhi-sensei, her literature teacher's sobs growing steadily louder. It was not the kind of crying with streaming tears and quiet, muffled gasps; it was a heart being ripped apart by cries and heaving sobs, anguish laid bare for the world to see, open and ugly. Her hair was disheveled, hiding half her face as she curled into herself. Sara shuddered. She doesn't want to see this.

The door slid open, slamming hard against the frame. "Quiet down! What is happening here?!"

It was the Disciplinary Committee. Sara didn't know where they were or why they weren't here earlier, but the four Disciplinary Members quickly took control of the situation, leading Touma-sensei out first, then bringing Haruhi-sensei to get her cut cleaned and wrapped. Sara could see blood flowing down the side of her teacher's head. There was a lot of blood.  

 _Red, red, RED_.

Sara knew that her lips were wobbling. There was a sour twinge building behind her nose. "Are you alright? Please don't cry, I'm not very good at comforting crying girls, haha." The same boy who stopped her was rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. He was laughing, with a carefree smile on his face.

It contrasted strongly against the scene she just witnessed. The heat at the corner of her eyes faded.

"Hey come on, let's get away for a bit."

Dumbly, Sara followed the boy.

~*~~ _*_ ~

The curtains were pulled shut, and the sunlight that filtered through was dimmed and dulled. The corner seemed darker than it actually was, tinted blue by the thick curtains. Sara swallowed thickly. "Thank you."

"Haha, no problem!" Came the carefree reply. "My name's Yamamoto Takeshi, nice to meet you!" The boy crinkled his eyes, mouth curling into a laugh. It was a little disconcerting.

She knows who this is. The baseball star of Namimori, a year below her. She may be always focused on her studies, but it doesn't mean she wasn't aware of what people are talking about around her.

With Touma-sensei gone and the other two teachers out of sight, the charge of energy in the room was winding down. Koda-sensei was a god-send, being kind and patient with helping everyone even after all that.

Sara couldn't stop hearing Haruhi-sensei's crying.

She couldn't stop seeing Touma-sensei, eyes flashing a crazy glint, spewing vulgarities and curses as he was pinned to the ground after attacking a fellow teacher.

_I need to find Yuuki._

Sara nodded, outwardly she struggled to maintain a neutral expression. "Okay. Yamamoto. Thanks, once again."

Turning, she saw her friend and rushed to her side.

"Huh." Takeshi blinked, scratching the back of his ear thoughtfully.

~*~~*~

No one was talking about the incident, surprisingly. The students were all acting like that didn't happen at all, or tried their very best to. They were all acting at being normal, but it was just that - an act. The underlying tension was palpable in the air, the elephant in the room that no one wanted to acknowledge. Then Yuuki told her that before she woke up, some students were making trouble for the Disciplinary Committee, wanting to go home. Everyone more or less quieted down after the second batch of rescuees entered the classroom, though. 

Fear spreads. And it subdues.

The odd one out was a woman that came in just now, led by a Disciplinary Committee member. She stood out in the way she talks and smiles, and... Sara didn't think much of it, but that seemed real. Genuine. _What is there to smile about?_

Yuuki told her about it, sometime later. About Dame-Tsuna, and what he did. That she had seen the boy fight those nightmarish monsters, _all by himself_ . Sara thought her friend must've seen wrong, but Yuuki had pointed to the woman and said that she was his mother. That she was _brought here_ by Dame-Tsuna.

_You see, Sa-chan? This is prove._

Sara only shook her head disbelievingly. She is in a year above the boy, and never bothered to keep up with the gossip vine, but she knew who he is. _Dame-Tsuna_ is a household name this side of Namimori. Her brother is two years her elder, and _he's_ heard about the legendary clumsiness and uselessness of the boy. It's simply another part of living in Namimori.

 "You're not joking," Sara said.

 "No, Sa-chan, I'm really not kidding. I think everyone saw it. Him. It was incredible, I can't believe you missed it. If I had my camera..."

 "Yuuki..."

 Yuuki crossed her arms. "You know I won't bluff on something like this, I mean, who would believe me? But it's _true_ , Sa-chan."

 Sara regarded the woman, Dame-Tsuna's mother, who had settled down at the back of the classroom. _If Dame-Tsuna could do it..._ Sara thinks of teasing laughs thrown back and forth, a door left open in the night, warmed meals waiting on the living room table and shadow puppets on the wall. These are the things that remind her of a home she will not lose.

  _Oh._

  _So that's what I'm going to do._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Guess what's gonna happen next? :D
> 
> I'm focused on finals lately, so there hasn't been any energy left to write. All the ideas in my head are screaming to be let out. Soon, I guess.
> 
> Leave a comment and tell me what you think! Also, if you want to read about any particular scene or characters, tell me and I'll see if I can't work it in/


	11. VI i

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takeshi is still Takeshi, some sense is shaken into him... or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know. Another filter chapter, where is the action, etc. BUT. But please do note that since last month the updates have been changed from monthly to weekly, so in actuality, there are 2 filler chapters after 3 Tsuna chapters. Believe me, it feels like it's been forever for me too. So this is how writing a long multi-chap fic feels like, haha. 
> 
> Thanks to Seris, who reminded me to show more interactions between redefined side characs, OCs, and main characs. I hope you like this. 
> 
> Next update would be last week of Dec.
> 
> Also, IMPORTANT: Half of this chapter is unbeta'ed. I NEED A BETA READER. Anyone?
> 
> VERY IMPRTANT: I've recently (this week) opened a Discord server ['Fictious'](https://discord.gg/x2rc3pJ) , mainly for discussion on fics, or chatting in general. If you have lots of thoughts for DHYB, please do share them there and we can discuss it!

It was silent, and the room was stifling. Takeshi fidgeted. Shiro-sensei had come back with the other female sensei an hour before, and Touma-sensei after that. Then everyone had quieted down, and Takeshi couldn't get anyone to talk with him. He was a little bored, truth to be told.

Takeshi didn't really mind that Touma-sensei and the other teacher fought - it was something similar that he himself had felt too, when he was on the gym building's roof, but even if he didn't really understand where Akahoshi was coming from, he knew that it was done in some kind of self-preservation instinct. Besides, what's done is done, like his old man would say, and there's no point dwelling on it.

He figured that the other students were all trying to sleep, or just rest, but they all became weird after Touma-sensei had come back just now. The man had looked worse for wear, breathing ragged and tired. His face was twisted in a funny face that Takeshi found a little unusual, but the baseball player figured that the man probably had a run in with the Head of the Disciplinary Committee. It was a normal enough occurrence that it shouldn't have warranted everyone's attention, but Touma-sensei had said something else.

It went along the lines of, "We'll all die. Just you see, the monsters will come," and "Better off to just kill yourself here and now," but the man got hit over the head by a DC member with a stick, and went out like a light.

Or something like that. Takeshi wasn't really paying attention, so he couldn't be sure.

He remembered the scene the entire Disciplinary Committee rescue group had came across when they reached the teacher's staff room. Even wrapped in the middle of the group surrounded by the members of the committee, he was tall enough that the pompadours didn't block his view. They found two shell-shocked teachers in the filing cabinet, the papers and files housed inside spilled all over the floor, and Touma-sensei alone in the supply closet.

Outside, five HEMs were gorging themselves on two dismembered bodies on the ground; one right by the doors, another right in front of the supply closet.

The one thing the Takeshi remembered the most is probably when the Disciplinary Committee member that pried open the supply closet was almost clocked in the head by a hysterical Touma-sensei. With a mop no less. The man was practically frothing at the mouth, and it took two more members to forcefully bring him to calm down.

Just when Takeshi was feeling fed up with the choking atmosphere and wanted to stand up to head to the bathroom or something to just _get out of here_ , Dame-Tsuna came in.

Takeshi almost mistook him for someone else, but there's no mistaking that fluffy head of hair. The clothes he was wearing was the only thing that threw him off.

_That is a lot of blood._

The timid boy seemed to shrink with all the attention he was getting, but his expression cleared up when he saw the woman - his mum - at the back. Takeshi could relate. Seeing his mum had always made him smile.

Dame-Tsuna had knelt there for a while, and Takeshi didn't know why, but he followed everyone's example and stared at the boy. It was kind of rude, but there was just... something. Takeshi had a feeling that something was not necessary _off,_ just different, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

Until...

_"You are safe now."_

It was unexpected. That smile. Takeshi felt _something_ wash over him, like the heat of the sun on his skin after an exhilarating game. Like when he was younger, enveloped in the circle of strong arms as he watched skilled hand slice smoothly through raw fish, preparing delicious sushi for lunch. _Home. Where I belong._

And it was _warm_. He felt like smiling. Really smiling. That was weird.

It was even weirder when his thoughts were guided away from all the things this morning. All the nightmares. Another thought entered his mind, pushed away those things that Takeshi didn't like, didn't want to think about. He could dwell on it if he wants to, he supposed, but those thoughts were not fun at all. The new thought was not really a thought, but a memory, and like waves smoothing over drawings on sand, the unpleasant stuff faded. The screams, the smell of coppery air, a missing ladder, smiling; not smiling.

The memory was about that time when he almost got ran over by a truck when he was four. He did not actually remember that part, but he remembered what happened next. His mum was there, cradling him close, her arms wrapped tightly around him, her murmurs of reassurance felt like a comfy warm blanket in the winter. It was a blurry memory, and Takeshi doesn't remember what his mum was murmuring then. He mostly remembered because his old man frequently used this incident to warn him to stay off the roads while playing.

It worked, just not exactly the way his Tsuyoshi meant it to. Takeshi didn't really remember this as a scary accident, because his mum was there, and she saved him. He remembers this as a fond memory, where he was held, was loved, and felt so safe and warm. Takeshi treasures this memory, and he certainly won't let any other lousy road accident memory replace this one as another _that time I almost got run over by a truck_ memory. This one is special. It was only Takeshi's and his mum's, like a playful secret, kept only between mother and son.

 " _You are safe now._ "

Maybe that time, this is what his mum said, too. That would be so cool. He could almost hear his mum say it, even when he already forgot what she sounded like. His old man wasn't fond of video cameras, unfortunately.

Takeshi didn't even notice when Tsuna left the classroom, too busy reminiscing.  

~*~~*~

Takeshi yawned. He had never sat so still and for so long in a classroom. An hour or so ago everyone was asked to move some tables to barricade the windows facing outside, finding old newspapers to tape up any gaps. Takeshi helped out with the tables, but apparently, his ‘talent’ with art included tape and paper pasting. Another student had to stop and save the tape from him - or save him from the tape, Takeshi wasn’t sure.

He was bored. No one on the baseball team was here. There were a few either from the kendo club or the karate club, some from the table tennis club, but not many athletes were here at all. Especially those who use the sports centre and school field. No one from football. No one from track and field, except Akahoshi. Takeshi knows everyone, but they don’t look like talking at all.

_I really want to go outside._

Only the Disciplinary Committee's warnings stayed him. But they were nowhere to be seen right now. It was just over the second round of giving out the rice balls _(he got two two this time!),_ and now everyone was huddled in their own corners of the room, already settling down for the night. The Disciplinary Committee had brought in a small lantern - the kind used during camping trips, and it glowed a soft yellowish glow. Takeshi thought it was a nice atmosphere, but still boring.

What else was there to do in the dark?

He couldn't stay still. Takeshi fidgeted, the excess energy from not going to baseball practice today making his skin itch, and he wants to go outside, walk it off. He stood, brushing imagined dust off his school pants, and stretched. Feeling the cramped muscles stretching, his back and neck popping, Takeshi rolled his shoulders, and strolled right out the door.

No one stopped him.

Once outside, Takeshi saw that dusk had already fallen, and the half-grey, half-orange light covered everything in sight, but he found that it was still way darker in the classroom than out here.

“Hey you! What are you doing out here?”

It was Mochida, coming out from the classroom on the right. He had a shinai secured in the loop of his belt, face scowling.

Takeshi waved, happy enough to see a fellow sportsman. “Mochida-senpai! Nice to see you! Are you going to the bathroom too?”

The other boy put both hands on his waist, leaning down a bit to glare at Takeshi, “ Of course not, I’m on duty to _secure the perimeter_ ,” the words seemed parroted. “Don’t you know I’m part of the DC now? I patrol the grounds to make sure that fellow students like you are safe.”

“Wow, that’s great Mochida-senpai!”

The older boy practically preened.

“When are you getting a pompadour?”

Mochida’s face fell immediately. “What? I’m not- What are you doing out here?!”

“It that like a defense training?” Takeshi ignored Mochida’s questioning.

“Patrolling? No!”

“But you’re guarding the team's weak spots?”

“Well, of course, I learn kendo to protect-”

“Can I sign up?” Takeshi asked earnestly. He thought that it really would be fun to try out.

“- the weak, after all,” Mochida completed, then double-took when he registered what Takeshi just said. His eyebrows flew up into his hairline, then narrowed down into a cutting gaze.

“Why.”

Takeshi scratched his ear, gave an easy laugh. “It’s so stuffy in the classroom, so I want to help! Seems like fun.”

“Yamamoto,” Mochida’s face morphed into an entirely different expression so fast Takeshi was a bit taken aback. “Are you joking me.”

Takeshi smiled.

“Nope!”

His shoulders were suddenly grabbed. “What. The. Hell.” Each word was punctuated with a head-lolling shake. Mochida then pulled him away from the classroom door, and shook him some more, all the while trying to keep a low voice.

“Yamamoto, listen to me. This is not ‘fun’. This is real fighting. Don’t think this is whatever you think it is. I don’t care. Be like an idiot, I don’t care. But. But, listen to me, okay? Stay inside, and keep quiet. I know you’ve seen the same things I did. What the hell made you think it was _fun?_ What the hell goes on in your airhead? It is not fun. What. The. Hell.”

Through the dizziness from being made into a human bobble-head, Takeshi found Mochida’s tirade somewhat funny. He’d never seen Mochida so serious outside of a kendo tournament, from the one time he saw the older boy on local television. That glint in the eye, stance unyielding and firm. In the dying rays of the sun, the shadows drawn across Mochida’s face made him look much older.  It was kind of familiar.

_“You cannot, Takeshi. Not until you are ready.”_

_Maybe it’s a swordsman thing?_

“Okay, okay,” he raised his hands in surrender. “I won’t join you, Mochida-senpai. I understand, you have your rules, I have to be serious.”

From the corner of his eye, Takeshi saw a girl approach the two of them slowly.

“A-ano, Mochida-san? Is everything okay?” the girl stopped four feet away, not moving to get any closer.

Mochida spared her a glance, and pushed Takeshi back. “Yeah, nothing much, Marino-chan. Everything okay with Koda-sensei and that Sasagawa? Did you offer sensei the earplugs?”

Marino nodded solemnly.

“I have. Koda-sensei, _erm,_ wanted me to tell Hana-chan that he a-appreciates her foresight, and that he will consider wearing them in one- only one ear. Ac-actually, Koda-sensei had an idea for r-reinforcing the science corridor, and he wants to talk to DC about it.”

Takeshi found that the girl spoke with a weird accent, sometimes struggling with her words.   

Mochida pulled a face and muttered to himself, but Takeshi caught some of his words, “-can’t believe sensei actually wearing the earplugs... Sasagawa-”

“You,” Turning back to him, Mochida pushed Takeshi towards the classroom, “Get back and go to sleep or something. Don’t come out again.” Turning to the girl, the kendo captain replied, “The DC is down at the old outdoors court, Aoi-senpai just went down with Sawada - why the hell I have no idea - but I don’t think they’ll finish anytime soon, so we wait for a bit.”

The girl nodded, “Kyoko-chan and Hana-chan are waiting for us at the bridge, we should go.”

“I know,” Mochida replied and walked away with the girl, Marino, but not before shooting a looking at Takeshi, making a shooing motion. Takeshi moved to the classroom door, and put his hand on the handle, nodding.  

The two patrols rounded the corner, and out of sight.

Takeshi went to slide the door open, but paused. Since he’s already outside, he should probably go to the bathroom first, shouldn’t he? The closest boy's bathroom was on the second floor, so he headed for the stairs opposite the one Mochida had just gone down, steps casual and quiet.

Passing by the second-to-last classroom, the windows were all barred like the 2-B where everyone was, but the door was slightly ajar.

In the gloomy darkness inside, a white light flashed past.

_This is one of the DC’s rooms now, isn’t it? Didn’t Mochida-senpai say that the DC isn’t here?_

Cocking his head to the side, Takeshi approached the door and peeked inside.

_Huh._

~*~~*~  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope Mochida was... not OOC? I mean, he was shown so little in canon, but we know he did join Vongolo under Tsuna, so he couldn't still be a douchebag then. Then in Chap 2 he was all extremely serious and testing Tsuna.
> 
> I wanted to go with the serious Mochida, but he wanted more KHR humor, and his rant got away from me. It was funny for me to reread what I wrote, because it differed so much from what I wanted. Also, he wasn't as rude to Takeshi as he was to Tsuna, mainly because I figured he's an okay guy, just prejudiced against Tsuna, prideful, and a little obsessed with his 'fame' and Kyoko as his girlfriend.
> 
> Leave a comment to tell me what you think, and don't forget to kudos if you like this fic!


	12. VI ii

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mochida should have made sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From here there's going to be a hiatus, I guess. I've decided to finish writing three more chapters before I start posting again. Right now I only have one down, and it still needs LOTS of editing. The next update... I'll keep track on my tumblr, but I can't say when.

"What are you doing?"

There was a muffled scream, and a noisy clatter as the girl dropped the flashlight in her hands. 

"Didn’t you just- I, uhm, just want to find a flashlight to look for something," she said. She immediately crouched down to pick up the flashlight by her feet, and when she stood up, she shone the light on Takeshi.

"Oh, it's you. You're not the patrols."

It was the girl from before, when the teachers were arguing. Takeshi recognized the hairstyle that stuck up funnily at the top of her head.

Takeshi didn't answer her, "Are you supposed to be here?"

"I'm sure there was a flashlight here, and I'm right! I found it, so I'm heading back."

She was trying to push something behind her form. The flashlight in her hand shown directly into his eyes, so he crept to the side. The light followed him.

Trying to blink out the spots dancing in his vision, Takeshi complained, "Can you shine the light somewhere else? It's making me see squiggly lines."

"Oh, uh, sorry." The girl apologized. Takeshi saw what was in her other hand.

"Is that a bag? Are you stealing stuff? You shouldn't, you know?"

"No, I'm not," she denied.

"Yes, you are," he pressed.

"You're wrong."

"I see the bag you're holding."

"These are my stuff."

"Why are you in here?"

"Like I said, I'm borrowing this flashlight. Just for a little while. I'll return it, don't worry."

Takeshi probably could step forward and take the flashlight out of her hand, maybe stop her? But there really wasn’t a need to.  The moment he saw the bag, heard the girl speak in a tight voice, shoulders hunched - he knew. This is a whole new game. His instincts told him he was right.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to the classroom."

"What about later?"

"The classroom. Where else?"

"If you're going outside, I'm going with you."

"I  said _ \-  _ wait. What?"

“You’re going outside right? To look for someone.”

The girl lowered the flashlight in shock. Finally. Takeshi stepped into the room, rubbing dancing colored spots out of his eyes, trying to find something useful from the things scattered about. There was a collapsible baton left on the table. He picked it up, turning it around in his hands. "Did you pack one of these?"

The girl remained silent.

Takeshi forged on, "And I think we better go now, not later. The DC are busy with something else right now."

There was a pause, before the girl finally spoke, "...I know. And I packed two. A bottle of water, some food," she said cautiously. "Some first-aid supplies."

Takeshi hung the baton by the strap of his trousers. "Okay then. I don't know about this stuff, so I can't be sure."

He looked at the girl. 

"Let's go?"

She blinked. Then turned off the flashlight, stashing it in her bag. She adjusted it to sling diagonally across her shoulders.

"...Yeah. Go."

They exited the room, and Takeshi slid the door behind him shut. They crept down the stairs, but after only a few steps, Takeshi stopped. The girl looked back at him, eyes questioning.

He did a shushing motion just in case. Then cup one ear with his hand. 

The girl seemed to hold her breath for a few seconds, then she heard it too. Voices, coming up from below. Getting louder.

The girl looked back at him, a finger pointing upwards. He nodded, and silently they climbed the stairs.

"-n't believe that monkey, evidently he has no brain at all. I mean, he thought he could join  _ the _ Hibari outside!"

"I know, I worry about him too."

"Wait, who says I'm  _ worried _ ? He'll probably jeopardize the entire thing, and that's not  what we need."

"Okay, Hana-chan." 

They hid right around the corner of the stairs, waiting for the voices of the two girls to fade away, but luck was not in their favor, as the two girls stopped right at the mouth of the stairwell.

Takeshi shared a look with the girl, and she pointed up, mouthing the word 'Rooftop'.

He nodded, and they both sneaked away from the chattering voices.

The door was unlocked, as it always was. No one comes up to this building's rooftop, if only because it's rumored to be a frequent haunting spot for the Demon of Namimori.

It was already dark, but there was a soft wind whipping their hair and loose clothing around.

"Let's wait for a bit. Do you have a watch?" the girl asked.

Takeshi shook his head, "Nope. We'll wait and see. Good thing it's not cold up here. It's even a little warm, haha."

The girl said nothing, staring thoughtfully at Takeshi. The baseball star felt somewhat like the girl was looking for something, and he was being judged, but he had no idea on what. He squatted down to wait, while the girl stood off to the side.

There was a lull for perhaps less than a minute, but standing around in silence, waiting on a rooftop... Takeshi broke the silence, "So, who is it?"

The girl blinked a few times, frowning. Then something in her gaze changed. "My brother. He is my only family left... well, kind of. I don't know whether he- but I must. I need to. I need to do this."

_ Last of her family? _

"I understand, then. My old man too."

"Do you know… where your father is?"

Takeshi raked back his short fringe, the air getting more stifled as night slowly set in. "Haha, I'm not really sure, but my old man wouldn't need more help than your brother."

"You seem so sure." It sounded more like a statement than a question.

He shrugged. "Trust me. My old man still packs a surprise if anyone tries to start trouble in our sushi shop."

The girl nodded slowly, "Alright. I think enough time has passed, Yamamoto-san. We should check."

Overhead any last rays of sunlight winked out behind the mountains in the horizon, and Takeshi tilted his head to look at the silver of moonat the edge of the nightsky. He thought he could see something of a glow from behind the other school block.

"Yamamoto-san," t he girl tightened the strap of the bag over her shoulders, and waited for Takeshi. 

Before she could open the door to the stairs, Takeshi said, "Hey, call me Yamamoto, everyone does. No need for honorifics or anything. What's your name?"

"..." The girl was looking at him, contemplating. Why she needs to think so much is beyond Takeshi.

"Come on," Takeshi pushed good-naturedly. "Or I'll have to call you rooster-head!"

The girl sputtered, "Wha- My hair does not look like a rooster!"

"It does, it definitely does. If it was brighter out here I bet it'd look red too."

"I-" The girl stopped and looked to the side. "Shinichi always say that. My brother. He's always joking about how he was lucky he didn't have my color. His hair looks exactly like mine, but black."

She focused on Takeshi, "Sara. Yamakage Sara. That's my name."

"Can I call you Sara? We're a team now, you can call me Takeshi too."

"Team?"

"Yeah, like a secret spy game, where we have to dodge guards and get to the secret base without being caught."

Sara gave a tentative smile. "That sounds exactly like what we're going to do."

Takeshi returned it with a laugh. A game that he could finally join! "Alright, Sara. It's game on!"

~*~~*~

They slipped down the stairs, the soles of their shoes lightly slapping against the concrete as they hurried down the stairs unseen. The grills to the second  floor was closed but unlocked. It was slightly rusty, and Takeshi slowly inched the door open to avoid any creaking. Unfortunately the grills on the ground floor to the outside of the building was locked and barricaded. 

“Huh,” Takeshi scratched his head. “Guess we can’t go this way.”

Sara drummed her fingers on the handrails. “The DC are all outside, so there must be a way... “ She gasped. “They must have gone down from the science building. And the corridor to it is guarded...” Sara bit her lip, eyes narrowed in thought. 

She glanced at Takeshi, “What do you think of just jumping out the first floor?

Takeshi was mildly surprised, he didn't think girls do stuff like that.

“Sounds fun!”

Up the stairs they went again, making sure to be extra quiet exiting the landing, but the loud “EXTREME”s coming from the science corridor made it a moot point. The two unanimously chose to move away from the voices. Takeshi can honestly say that aside from this building and the school hall, he’d never been to any other blocks in Namimori Middle. This Block A is the only one he knows, and he’d never even been to the third floor, as his classroom was on the second floor.

“This is my classroom,” Takeshi mock whispered as they sneaked past. 

Sara only gave him a blank look. 

“We can go out from the window? It’ll be easier to jump from the ledge.” 

Sara nodded, showing that she understood. 

It was actually pretty simple to climb out the window, and jump to avoid landing on the line of potted plants below.  Sara winced a little when she landed, but the ground was soft earth, and Takeshi didn’t see anything wrong with her ankle, so it should be fine. 

“We did it!” Takeshi cheered. 

“Shh.”

They sneaked around the building, checking behind corners and ducking behind the decorative plants just in case anyone was looking out from the windows of the opposite building. 

"To the school field, my best friend told me that the DC had sent a clearing group out from there this afternoon," Sara pointed as they wound around Block B.

"Woah. How did your friend know?"

"I have no idea. She was helping out with the food and beverages group?" 

"Haha. That's pretty neat."

"Er... Oh, turn here. We're not cutting across the field directly. We're going to turn up there and go past the baseball court."

"Sweet."

It was a great choice. Moreso than in avoiding open spaces so they wouldn't be seen, because under the cover of night it was unclear whether the darker splotches in the grass were shadows, or something else. Takeshi was reminded of the red on green patches he'd seen this morning from the roof of the school gym.

There was another great reason they'd taken the detour around to the baseball court, as Takeshi gave an exclamation of glee when they came across a dirtied baseball bat lying desolately on the ground. 

"My bat! I thought I had lost it again!"

He picked it up, hefting the weight in his hands, the grip a familiar comfort. He gave it a few experimental swing, and now he has two weapons instead of one. The baton can be a backup. 

"Yamamoto-kun, come on."

"I thought you were going to call me Takeshi, Sara?"

"Did I say so?"

"I… forgot, haha. Did you?"

"I'm not sure," came the distracted answer. It was fun, Takeshi thought, sneaking through the school grounds at night. He'd never been at school past sundown before, and in the gloomy moonlight everything looked different. Especially in the school field, where the shadows cast by the trees sway to an invisible breeze, Takeshi can barely feel on his skin.

"Hey, Sara. Did you tell anyone you're coming out here?"

Sara shrugged awkwardly, "I told my best friend, but she won't tell. Not- not immediately, at least. Maybe in an hour or two. She worries."

As they get closer to the school walls, the distinct stink of putrefied flesh grew stronger, until Takeshi had to pinch his nose to avoid smelling it. Sara went searching through her satchel and brought out two handkerchiefs and a bottle of hand sanitizer. She dripped two drops of sanitizer on each handkerchief and handed one over to Takeshi.

"Here, tie this around your mouth and nose. I hope it helps."

It smelled of antiseptic and iodine, but it was far better than rotten HEMs.

"Thanks!"

Sara didn't answer, as they've reached the high walls. They gauged the height, and Takeshi thought he could probably boost Sara up if she could jump high enough. Then she could pull him up. He told her exactly that. 

Takeshi crouched down, hands cupped palms up on one knee. Sara looked indecisive for a moment, before asking, "Are you sure you're going to do this? I know that I'm going to look for my brother, but what about your father? Do we split up?"

He smiled, "Nah, I don't think I need to worry about my old man. He's fine. He can take care of himself." It had been a very long time since he'd last heard the  _ schiiick _ of polished steel, saw the light glinting off deadly sharp edges, cutting through air smooth as river flows. He hadn't seen it in years, but he remembers.

"We're looking for your brother first. Where do you think we should go?"

Sara curled both arms around herself. "My brother... I ditched him this morning on the way to school. We usually take a detour around to get here first, before he goes on to his school."

"Ah, your brother studies at Namimori High?"

Sara nodded, "He should have already reached his school, but he woke up late this morning, and haven't yet had breakfast. I told him to eat something, but he wanted to send me here. We stopped by a convenience store for him to buy some bread, and I just left without telling him while he was choosing."

Takeshi saw a twitch of lips, Sara's eyes crinkling into a weird smile.

"He could never choose between teriyaki and tuna," she said fondly, lapsing into silence as she reminisced.

Takeshi waited a few seconds for Sara to come back to the present, where she flipped a hand through the air, as if scattering whatever she was thinking about.

"What I mean is, with me not being there, Nii-chan would have chosen to take the direct route to his school, so there's also a chance that he might already be there. That means Nii-chan could be anywhere between the convenience store and Namimori High, depending on how long he spent in the convenience store..."

Sara frowned, "Where should I start looking?"

"Hey, it's _we,_ Sara. We're a team, and teams stick together. We can go to the convenience store, then follow the road to Namimori High School. It'll be fun!"

Sara sighed and gave him a thankful smile. She backed up a few steps and prepared to do a running jump. 

"Ready?"

Takeshi nodded. "On the count of three? Three and you step on, I push, okay?"

"Okay."

"One, two, three!"

Sara started running at 'two' and stepped on Takeshi's palms right as he pushed them upwards, catapulting Sara straight up the walls. She caught herself, hanging by her arms and looked around outside.

"Anything?" Takeshi whisper-called.

"I don't see anything. It's safe, I think."

Supplies shuffling in her sling bag, Sara quickly pulled herself to crouch atop the wall. It was wide enough for one the sit comfortably, and she leaned down to give Takeshi a hand up. It was an awkward angle, as Sara was wearing the school skirt, but Takeshi had the common decency to keep his eyes averted, and Sara didn't seem to care. 

Both of them perched on the wall, just looking out at the darkened streets, observing. The moment they jump down, there will be no walls between them and the undead lurking in the dark, no Disciplinary Committee to guard them. Once they leave the school, they will be all by themselves. 

Takeshi looked to the side at Sara, trying to gauge her expression to see what she was thinking, just to see her doing the same thing. Takeshi could tell that determination was evident in the lines of her face, and not much else. Well, he wasn't going to back down either.

"Come on," he said, and dropped down to the streets of Namimori.

~*~~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was at a loss for the chapter summary. I hope someone finds what I thought up as funny as I did. Haha. Ha. 
> 
> Also, yes, next three chapters will be focusing on Tsuna, and you also get the outsiders view at the beginning of each chapter.

**Author's Note:**

> For anyone who's interested, you can look me up on [Tumblr](https://aeryannef.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Additional Warnings: (please do tell me if I missed any)
> 
>   * **First Multi-chap fic, no guarantees, constructive critism very welcome (why did I pick ZA!AU again?)**
>   * **FAIL attempt at being serious (no, seriously. NOT to be taken too seriously)**
>   * **Slight OOCness (OK maybe a lot of OOCness)**
>   * **Author claims creative license (most of the time)**
>   * **More complete AU than Canon-Divergence (or maybe just full out AU. Sigh.)**
>   * **Creative Flame Usage**
>   * **There will be no main pairing (but author is a fan of hint pairings)**
>   * **Author is not a fan of horror nor zombie media (but has watched 1 since starting this fic. George Romero zombie fans beware, not that type of zombie)**
>   * **Tsuna gathers his Guardians and his Family (yes, I know the zombies aren't really the point)**
>   * **Slow updates (once a month?)**
>   * **BAMF!Tsuna, BAMF!A lot of characters (because author is a big softie)**
>   * **No character bashing (like seriously, not even Iemitsu)**
>   * **Mild descriptive horror(?) (I'm not really sure on how it ranks on the horror scale, but I hope no one is too squeamish)**
>   * **Lots of OCs (like, A LOT. Truckloads of 'em)**
>   * **There are scenes where logic is suspended (or just assume Logic Is Thrown Out The Window)**
>   * **Slight gore, some blood, some vomit, some violence (typical stuff. What? It does say Zombie!AU in the summary)**
> 

> 
> More warnings would be added as author stumbles along.


End file.
